The name "easel painting" comes from the main element, or tool, which takes part in the creation of paintings. Of course, we are talking about an easel, which is less often called a machine tool. A canvas or a sheet of paper is attached to its surface, on which paints are then applied. Easel painting is all the paintings that are currently available in museums and private collections around the world. Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to imagine the number of all genres and varieties that are the basis of this type of art.
Modern art historians have decided to divide the painting into various subspecies, which are referred to depending on the technique of the painting, as well as on the type of paints that are used. As a result, a certain chronology formed, because over time more and more types of paints appeared. Easel painting of the ancient world, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance is divided into two subgroups - tempera and oil. The artist either used dry, that is, tempera paints, which he diluted with water, or used oil, as well as a number of chemical solvents for them.
Tempera easel painting is a complex science that requires a lot of skills, as well as great patience of the master who paints a picture. In ancient times, tempera paints were mixed with various natural products, including yolks and egg whites, honey, wine and so on. By all means, water was added to this composition, as a result of which the paint became soaked and became suitable for drawing on canvas. Tempera paints could form a beautiful and unique pattern only if they were applied in separate layers or small strokes. Therefore, the tempera art is characterized by clear lines and transitions, clearly defined borders and the absence of smoothly changing shades. Due to the fact that tempera paints are dry, they can begin to crumble. Also, many tempera-based works of art have faded, losing their former colors and shades.
Easel oil painting dates back to the fourteenth century, when for the first time the Dutch artist Van Ian Eyck used oil to create his masterpieces. Oil paints are still used by all world artists, since with their help it is possible to convey not only color transitions in a picture, but also make it voluminous and vibrant. Paints based on natural oils can be applied in layers of various thicknesses, mixed and made smooth color transitions with them. This allows the artist in a full range to lay out his emotions and feelings on the canvas, to make the picture rich and unique.
But, despite all its advantages, over time, oil, like tempera, loses its color quality. The main disadvantage of such paints are also considered craquelures that appear on the surface of paintings. Cracks can form at the transitions from one color to another, turning the picture into a fragmented “stained-glass window”. Therefore, easel painting, painted in oil, is varnished, so the picture can be preserved in its original form for a longer period.
Modern painting, whose genres have become much more diverse and innovative, is very different from the art of past years. However, despite more advanced materials and paints, the paintings of our days do not look so alive and full of emotions and emotions, like works of art of past centuries.