| Writing in his book The Lives of Artists in the | | | | compound, followed by an upper layer of natural |
| 16th century, Italian artist and critic Giorgio Vasari | | | | or artificial pigments mixed with either resins or |
| used the term "renaissance" for the first time to | | | | walnut or poppy seed drying oils". If the scientist, |
| describe the resurgence of culture and learning | | | | Yoko Taniguchi, is right, the cave paintings would |
| based on classical Greek and Arabic texts, which | | | | predate previous medieval examples of oil painting |
| began and spread from Italy in the 14th century, | | | | by over a hundred years. |
| and lasted roughly for another three centuries | | | | But it wasn't until the 15th century when a |
| afterwards. | | | | Flemish painter by the name of Jan van Eyck |
| We are all familiar with the great oil-based | | | | sought to mimic nature in his paintings, that oil |
| paintings of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo | | | | painting was to eventually be reprised and would |
| which arose from this time, and it is generally | | | | become widely accepted as the best painting |
| accepted that from the renaissance, oil-painting | | | | method. Van Eyck sought to mimic nature in his |
| became the prominent and mastered painting | | | | paintings, and decided that do so he would have |
| technique, and went on to shape the artistic | | | | to improve upon current painting techniques, which |
| culture of Europe and the world. But the history | | | | in those days generally meant the use of |
| of oil painting doesn't begin here, and in fact can | | | | tempera paint, which used egg as a final binding |
| be traced back to medieval Roman times, and as | | | | agent. He began to use oil in place of egg, and |
| recent findings show, maybe further. | | | | was soon dazzling his contemporaries with the |
| References to painting with oils are scattered | | | | fine detail and exciting colors of his new work. |
| throughout early human history. According to a | | | | Later, Van Eyck's techniques for oil painting were |
| 1st Century Roman scholar called Pliny the Elder, | | | | improved upon by successive generations of |
| the Romans used oil colors for painting shields. | | | | artists, including Antonello da Messina, who added |
| And Theophilus, a Benedictine monk who was | | | | litharge (better known by its chemical name lead |
| born in the 10th century, wrote about using | | | | oxide) into the mixtures of pigment and oils used, |
| linseed oil in painting mixture, in his treatise On | | | | and improved its drying properties; and later again |
| Divers Arts. The most recent and exciting | | | | by the likes of Leonardo da Vinci, who expanded |
| discovery into the history of oil-painting, came | | | | on the preparation techniques of oil-based paint |
| from a scientist at the Japan Center for | | | | with his own adaptations of the recipe. Today oil |
| International Cooperation in Conservation, who | | | | paints are widely accepted by the art community |
| concluded that 7th century cave paintings in | | | | and are sold in pre-prepared quantities, leaving the |
| Afghanistan used a "white base layer of a lead | | | | artists to get on with the job of painting. |