Introduction The History Tempera Paints vs. Oil Paints Drying Oils The Extraction of Linseed Oil Linolenic Acid So What? Oil Painting and History Bibliography
Egg tempera paints were the primary painting medium prior to the widespread use of oil paints. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, there was a gradual movement from tempera paints to oil paints as the primary medium. This movement began in northern Europe.
- Egg tempera paints: dried quickly, less color saturation, and low transparency
- Oil paints: dried more slowly (easier to work with), greater color saturation, and increased transparency
Fra Angelico, Annunciation, 1450
This painting is an example of the egg tempera medium.
Jan Van Eyck, The Marriage of Arnolfini, 1434
This painting is an example of oil painting.