Painting is one of the world's best-known and recognizable forms of visual art, dating back to at least the Neolithic period according to historians.
Vermeer's The Art of Painting is an 18th-century genre painting depicting a 17th-century painter in his studio with his model Clio as Clio (Greek muses of history).
Origins
Painting is an artistic medium which uses pigments mixed with other substances to form a flat surface, often used to represent real or abstract concepts or express emotions and ideas.
Painting has a rich and long history, which has been shaped over centuries by various influences such as religion, culture and the invention of new materials. Painting has long been part of human society since before recorded history began - its form having changed over time due to experimentation between artists as they experiment with this medium to develop unique styles.
Techniques
Painting techniques are varied and may include using various mediums such as ink, body paints, watercolors and acrylic gouache. Artists may also smudge pigments or erase to achieve unique effects.
Glazing is an artistic technique which involves layering paints on top of one another to produce various shades and hues, such as soft or saturated tones. Another popular approach is gestural painting - using free, flowing strokes to apply paint.
Airy perspective painting offers another intriguing technique. It allows artists to depict three-dimensional objects from a particular angle that appear realistic when seen from any other vantage point; this method of painting is especially suited for portraying landscapes.
Materials
An artist's choice of materials greatly affects a painting's overall appearance and feel, as well as its behaviour and deterioration (for more information, refer to CCI notes 10/3 Storage and Display Guidelines for Paintings on Ivory Metal and Paper and 10/4 Environmental and Display Guidelines for Paintings on Ivory, Metal and Paper).
Paints are composed of pigments and binding agents. The pigment particles are held together with glue-like agents from either animal, vegetable, or synthetic sources.
Your choice of paint depends on the style of painting you wish to practice. Oil paintings tend to be painted directly on canvas while acrylics and watercolors can be applied directly onto rigid surfaces like paper or board supports.
Subjects
Subject matter refers to what inspired an artist's painting, from people and landscapes to abstract images and beyond. Interpretations is key when it comes to understanding art pieces, so understanding both subject matter and theme will allow for deeper appreciation of artworks.
Most paintings include still life (arrangements of objects), portraiture and natural scenery - known as landscape painting - including mountains, rivers and forests. While some landscapes aim to look realistic while others can be abstract.
Styles
Painting has many diverse styles that fall under specific art movements or movements altogether, like Realism which aims to recreate a scene that looks real and lifelike on canvas, or Abstraction which uses bold colors while not necessarily portraying any specific subject matter.
Impressionism is another popular style of painting, which emphasizes brush strokes and light colors with delicate tones. Impressionist works especially well when depicting natural scenes such as landscapes. Additionally, another interesting form is pointillism - where small dots arranged into patterns form an image when seen from far away.professional painters brisbane
Trends
Artists today employ various styles of expression in order to convey their messages. Some experiment with textured paintings that create an eye-catching effect, while others explore themes surrounding identity and personal narratives by exploring body art forms.
Artists such as Ravelle Pillay, Laurie Kang and Benoit Pieron are breaking convention in their practice, drawing upon influences such as social and political change to bring fresh insights to established topics like nature and human bodies.
Although many believe painting to be dead, figurative artists continue to thrive and help shape the art world's landscape as well as inspire younger artists.
