Glossary Term: Oil Paint
Oil paints were invented in the 15th century by a Flemish painter, Jan van Eyck. Before oil paint, most painters used tempera paint, which dried very quickly and didn't allow the artist to make changes or corrections. The invention of oil paints allowed artists to paint much more realistically and experiment with different brushstrokes and styles.

Oil paint is a mix of ground pigments and linseed, poppy or walnut oil. Since oil dries slowly, artists could take more time to work on details and capture the textures of skin and fabrics. Oil paints could also be built up in thin layers which better reflect light.

The portrait on the left is a beautiful example of the how oil paints could be used to create more realistic paintings. Antonella da Messina’s "Portrait of a Man' is so life-like it almost looks like a photo.

In the 19th century, a new range of artificial colors in airtight tubes made oils even easier to use. Oil paints remained the most popular kind of paint for 500 years until the invention of acrylic paints in the 1950s.

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