The Birth of Oil Painting: The Van Eyck Revolution

While oils were used as early as the 7th century in Afghanistan, it was the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck who perfected the technique in the 15th century. Traditionally, artists used egg tempera, which resulted in a matte, quick-drying finish. Van Eyck’s genius lay in the formulation of a stable oil medium that allowed for incredible detail and translucency. In masterpieces like The Arnolfini Portrait, he utilized thin layers of translucent oil paint (glazes) over opaque underpaintings to create the illusion of light reflecting off metal, fur, and skin. This “Flemish Technique” revolutionized painting, allowing for a naturalism that had never been seen before, and quickly spread to Italy, transforming the course of Western art.