| Oil paints are
made by blending colored pigments into some kind of
oil, preferably a medium like linseed oil, walnut
oil or poppy seed oil. Depending on which oil was
used, oil paints can be more or less yellowish and
take different lengths of time to dry.
In Europe, where
linseed oil paints are most popular, the technique
of painting with oil pains is believed to have
originated in the thirteenth century. However, these
paintings had more decorative value than artistic
worth. There is also some evidence to suggest that
oil paints made using vegetable oils were used in
applied art by the ancient civilizations of Greece,
Rome, and Egypt. Christian monks also used oil
painting techniques in their art.
The main advantage
with using oil paints to create art is that the
paints take longer to dry and hence corrections and
alterations are possible unlike with quick-drying
paints like watercolors.
World-renowned artists like Leonardo da Vinci and
Rubens experimented with various unique techniques
to create oil paints which would add different
textures to their works. What all artists have
endeavored to create was the ideal oil paint
concoction. Today, good oil paints would be best
described as paints that take longer to dry, paints
that will blend easily with other colors and paints
which are available in a wide spectrum of bright and
vivid colors.
Among famous oil paintings in India, few have
received as much acclaim as the original oil
paintings of artist Raja Ravi Verma. His works were
what one of the main Indian artworks to attract
international attention in the nineteenth century.
Verma’s favorite themes included the great Indian
mythological works of the Mahabharata and the
Ramayana. Today the technique of painting with
oil-based paints is common in India and such
paintings have been created by famous Indian artists
on various materials. Indian velvet oil paintings
usually portray landscapes.
Miniature oil
paintings are also popular in India, especially in
the North and typically depict scenes from Rajput
and Moghul dynasties. Typically, in India oil
paintings for sale can be found at art galleries of
oil paintings or even at various cottage industry
outlets. Un-established Indian artists are also
willing to undertake custom oil paintings, which may
be a family member’s portrait or a painting of a
valuable family heirloom as per the individual or
family’s desire.
When purchasing an
oil painting, you can assess the value of the
painting in part on the basis of the theme of the
painting. For example oil paintings of lions in
Africa are fairly common and may therefore be
considered to be cheap oil paintings. However, with
any oil painting the buyer should also consider the
attention to detail as this is another indicator of
the artist’s skill and therefore the value of the
artist’s work.
Cleaning oil
paintings is a task that is best left to
professionals, especially if the paintings are very
expensive. If the paintings are not expensive, and
relatively new then you can simply dust off any
accumulated dirt or dust. |
