<p>Paintings tend to be the most beautiful creation of man,
which has the power to exert a pull on the spectator. Oil paintings are beautiful
art forms, and these antique elements continue to mark their stand through generations.</p>
<p><b>Why oil painting?</b></p>
<p>The great painters and the artists of the past chose to work
on oil paintings because it rendered a very realistic output. The paintings differed
from those produced by water colors, because the oil paintings looked very rich
and attractive.</p>
<p>Oil paintings originated during the middle ages, when the requirement
for waterproof painting was at the peak. Great artists opted for oil paintings
because of their durability and long lasting resistance. Thanks to those great
men because of the usage of oil paints only, we are able to enjoy the stupendous
collection of various artists.</p>
<p><b>The hard work consumed by the oil paintings!</b></p>
<p>Behind the beauty of oil paintings is the hard labor of the artist. A classical work
may take several weeks to months to be completed. Color pigments and binders are
the constituents of the oil paints. Linseed oils, poppy seed oils, safflower oils
and walnut oils are the oils to be mixed with the pigments. Brushers made up of
different fibers are used to paint. Oil painting is said to consume a lot of work
because it does not dry up easily, and if the artists wants to paint in layers,
he must wait for the paints to dry at each level which may devour a week. The
oils employed would dry at their own pace. The artist will be able to make changes
during the dry period of the painting, which is impossible in water paintings.
Oil paintings do no dry through evaporation, they have to be oxidized. And then
these paints are varnished after six months or a year. Some art conservators consider
an oil painting to be dry only after its 60-80 years old.</p>
<p>Oil paintings reached the pinnacle during the renaissance, where artists began to select wooden panels
as their base medium. They would stretch their canvas over the wooden panel. Artists
used a variety of brushes to produce different kinds of unique effects, knives
and blades were also used. Some artists painted with their fingers too.</p>
<p><b>Oil paintings today</b></p>
<p>Oil painting is an astonishing art form and even today there are many artists
who work fabulously on oil paints. But now there are more sophisticated tools
to produce oil paintings such as water miscible oil paints. These paints can be
thinned and cleaned up with water rather than using the turpentine. Earlier turpentine
was used as a cleaner in oil paintings. These water miscible oil paints reduce
the deep odor of toxic chemicals. Those days artist coated a blended mixture on
the canvas before they started painting, this was done to protect the canvas from
the toxic nature of the paints. But now all these safety measures are less required.</p>

Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com