From fresco to varnish: a succinct summary of all the different media which have been used in painting, with links to more detailed articles.
Antonello
From the funerary portraits of Fayum, through the work of Jan van Eyck, to Leonardo, Rubens and Botticelli, many of the greatest paintings are on wood panels.
Since the decline of egg tempera and fresco in the Renaissance, oil paints have predominated. They rely on drying oils as their binder, which give them longevity and versatility.
Was painting ‘invented’ by the maid of Corinth? What is ‘shadow play’, and how have painters extended it to religious works? A short history of shadows in painting.
Painters of the early northern Renaissance founded modern Western landscape painting, and developed the first examples of staffage.
A landscape without human or animal figures often looks eery or unnatural. This new series looks at how figures are used in landscape paintings, with copious examples.
A look back at some of the series and some surprises which you might have missed over the last year.
Did Antonello da Messina learn to paint with oils in Flanders, and bring back a revolution to Italy?
