Introduction The History Tempera Paints vs. Oil Paints Drying Oils The Extraction of Linseed Oil Linolenic Acid So What? Oil Painting and History Bibliography
- Oils: mixtures of triglycerides or fatty acids; are long chains of carboxylic acids, and may or may not contain double bonds
- Drying oils contain high proportions of unsaturated acids, like linoleic or linolenic acids
- Linseed oil has a larger percentage of linolenic acid than almost any other drying oil, which is why linseed oil is the primary drying oil used for oil painting
- As linseed oil absorbs oxygen, its density increases and larger molecules are formed through the process of polymerization
- After the drying process, the oil is in its solid form, known as linoxyn
- Sometimes siccatives or driers are added to the oils in order to speed up the drying process
Alpha-Linolenic Acid
