There are different painting techniques among which oil paintings that are still favored among contemporary artists. Oil painting is a specific type of painting renown to be a slow-drying painting technique. It involves adding pigments to the drying oil. Long ago, varnishes as well were added to the paint to give more glossiness and body to the dye. Various solvents were and are still mixed to the paint to alter the oil, for example, to improve its quality, thickness and other properties.
Over centuries, owing to scientific and technological progress, the quality of oil paintings has improved and subsequently the finishing as well. There are major differences between the old and new paintings. These differences are visible, to experts, in the sheen of the paints. Each type of oil produces a different sheen and therefore, all painters cross generations, when then work on an artwork have been using different oils depending on the effects they want to produce and the specific pigments. In addition, the base chosen as well affects the consistency of the paint such as linen bases will not produce the same effect as cotton supports.
Given all these peculiarities of oil paintings, since its first application in Buddhist paintings centuries ago, in the 21st Century, they remain the favored medium. Oil paint is used by almost all painters because of the various advantageous properties of oils. With time, progress in chemistry has made possible the improvement and alteration of the properties and ingredients of oil based paints. All these molecular modifications are meant to enhance the expressive characteristics of oil based paints. In present days, new types of paints are available on the market such as water miscible oil paint and heat set oils.
Although modern painting techniques have emerged, yet, most artists still prefer layers painting which is the conventional oil paintings method. But, even if some oil painters still use traditional oil painting techniques and supports, others prefer the modern oil based paints, bases and painting techniques. For example, some artists that paint on canvas now use sandable acrylic gesso and some oil painters prefer to use synthetic paint brushes because they are durable, of good quality and not expensive. But in the end, each artist adopts a personal painting technique and develops his/her own style that contributes to the uniqueness and peculiarity of his/her paintings.
All these developments in the field of oil painting have made way into the world of art being a versatile, living and rich arena. Due to these innovations, in modern days, talented oil painters have the possibility to use their imagination and creativity to their optimum so as to come up with exceptional masterpieces.
Our online art gallery houses exceptional contemporary artworks. If you take a tour you will get acquainted to unique and exceptional masterpieces of modern and traditional art. Thanks to contemporary innovations, oil painting is gaining in popularity and is still much valued by both experts and amateurs in all societies and cultures. With these contemporary oil paintings, it is part of our heritage that is preserved for future generations.









