History and Overview of Paintings
A painting is graphic art comprising of a pictorial pattern of colour or pigments. We can classify them depending on the base or support which can be walls, floor, paper, canvas, board, cloth etc or by the technique or medium used to fill colour.
The oldest known paintings are at the Grotte Chauvet in France, claimed by some historians to be about 32,000 years old. They are engraved and painted using red ochre and black pigment and show horses, rhinoceros, lions, buffalo, mammoth or humans often hunting. Even though cave paintings are the oldest known forms of graphic artwork they were diversely distributed and found mainly in China, India, Spain, France, Australia etc. In the western culture paintings were popularly made with oil, acrylic or water colours. Whereas in the east ink or ink colour was the chosen medium. However, ancient paintings have been found on walls of forts, castles, temples, royal clothes in the east and their colour was believed to be obtained from the flora and fauna.
The ancient artists often imitated scenes found in nature, streets, towns, homes etc. Artists paint in a variety different styles. These styles range from life-like Photo Realism to unidentifiable lines, dots and color called Abstract Expressionism.
Modern Art : In the 19th century modern art came into existence and gained precedence over the other forms of art. It is still the most widely preferred type of artwork. Most of the modern art tended towards abstraction. Modern art begins with the heritage of painters like Pablo Picasso, Henry Lautrec, Vincent Van Gaugh. The pioneers of modern art were dreamers, realists, romantics and impressionists. The style was adopted by artists in different nations, in preference to a "national" style.
Types of Paintings Depending on Medium Used
- Oil Paintings
These paintings are distinctive because of the gloss and their body. The oils used earlier in the east varied from linseed oil, poppyseed, safflower, walnut oil to kerosene. Oil is the medium for painting while the artwork could be anything ranging from modern, surrealistic to wall painting. It is estimated that it came into being in the 5th or 6th century. However, it flourished in the 15th century. The process comprises sketching or drawing the outlines of the figure to be painted. Applying raw paint to fill colour. Depending on the artist the number of coats to define the artwork may range from a few tens to hundreds. The layers of paint maybe increased irrespective of the support and when the oil dries up, it seals the paint onto the support. After the painting dries up for up to a few months or year, a coat of varnish is applied to it.
- Acrylic Paintings
Acrylic paints are paints that dry up quickly and depending upon the amount of water added their effect on the artwork may vary. Acrylic painters modify the appearance, hardness, flexibility, texture, and other characteristics of the paint surface using acrylic media. Watercolor and oil painters also use various media, but the range of acrylic media is much greater. Acrylics have the ability to bond to many different surfaces, and media can be used to adjust their binding characteristics. Acrylic can be used on paper, canvas and a range of other materials. Acrylic paintings are known for their remarkably thick layers of paint and their bulging effects on the support. However, their use on engineering structures, walls and woods are limited because of their porous nature.
- Canvas and Other Media
Paintings on canvas present a smoother finish than most forms. Canvas is a thick woven fabric that is used as a base for painting and it adheres to the paint. Its use dates back to the 16th century. Wooden panels, concrete floors and walls are soem other examples of paint media.
