You wouldn’t believe your eyes, but the art world wouldn’t be the same without oil paintings. This painting medium has fascinated maestros like Rembrandt, DaVinci, Monet, Van Gogh, and others. Even though each of them had different painting styles, they made the best use of oil paints to curate masterpieces.

Here, in this blog, we will turn back in time and take a quick look at the history of oil painting. We’ll see how this painting medium shaped the world of art over centuries and how painters made art reproductions.

Let’s find out how oil painting evolved through the ages.

Discovering the Secret of Oils with Jan van Eyck
Significant portions of the early history of oil painting are all about the things that did not happen within Britain. Even though Renaissance transformed and humanized painting in Italy during the 1500s, this did not really happen for Britain. In fact, everything, including music, science, and literature, extensively flourished in Britain. But unfortunately, the sensual world of art and paintings remained unexplained.

It was left in the hands of the Dutch to show the correct pathway. Thus, oil paintings were initially regarded as a Dutch breakthrough, which Jan van Eyck led. One of his popular paintings includes The Arnolfini Marriage in 1434. Van Eyck was a pioneer in the alchemy of paint. He is probably one of the finest artists to put his signature on his own work.

Earlier, artists were limited to water-based paints, which would dry very quickly on walls. But when the same color is transformed on a wood plank, it looks flat and lifeless. During the time of Eyck, oil paintings were murky and yellow since he mixed organic oils with raw pigment powder.

Further, calcined bones were boiled in the linseed oil of the flax plant. This breakthrough innovation could finally perfect the drying time required by oil paintings.

Early Oils in Northern Europe
In the protestant North, a man was depicted in clothes while being surrounded by friends. The oil paintings show that man has been set free from being cooped up indoors and also reveal that he was sometimes in a difficult and threatening environment.

No story is told in the famous artwork Dark Day by Pieter Brueghel. Only a hard existence within a vast landscape is described as an early instance of the landscape for its own sake. Here, in this painting, the mood overcomes the narrative. And it must not have been seen in English art until the 18th Century.

Bringing Forth Oils to England with van Dyck
Dutchmen Rubens and his famous pupil van Dyck introduced new ideas of oil painting from Italy to England. Artists specifically did this with the help of portraiture. In fact, the Royal court demanded likenesses for paintings. And it was discovered by Elizabeth I to make the best propaganda with portraits.

According to the wider context of European art, Dyck contributed very little, but his influence in England has been profound since the 1630s. He had several other followers who continued working in his shadow until the 1730s. Dyck basically treated modern life through narratives with sympathy, humor, and great skill.

Gainsborough and Reynolds
It is no secret that oil painting already paved the pathway for two famous English artists - Thomas Gainsborough and Sir Joshua Reynolds. Both the maestros relied on painting portraits. However, Reynolds, another versatile artist, believed in a ‘Grand Style’ by idealizing nature and flattering his sitters.

Gainsborough, on the other hand, painted from the aspect of nature in an innovative yet peculiar and anti-academic manner. His love for the English landscapes knew no bounds, as he painted in transparent, fluent, and animated tones.

Oil Painting with the Pre-Raphaelites
During the revolutionary year of 1848, the pre-Raphaelites rebelled against the boring pictures at the Royal Academy. They aimed to get back into a much purer time where the paintings had unsophisticated subjects and vivid colors.

In fact, they painted medieval scenes, particularly on a white background. This helped in reflecting the light through the pigment. Thus, their colors were intensified to a certain degree, initially set to shock the Victorian public.

Oil Painting During the Times of the American Influence
It is true that a few of the new ideas of the late 19th Century arrived with the Americans. Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket by Whistler surprisingly reached the very edge of abstraction during 1875. The maestro wanted his paintings to have the exact same effect on emotions, just like music.

To Conclude
Other than these, there has been a plethora of influences over oil painting. From the impressionist to post-impressionist, from the vorticists to war-time, the list could go on and on. However, since the space is limited but words are plenty, we’ve to keep things short as of now. We will probably talk about the other influences on oil painting someday. Until then, try your hands on some quick and easy brush strokes!