Though man had learnt the art of painting very, very long ago, we have even drawing from the Stone Age, though these are more sketches than paintings, the concept of painting using oils was developed only during the 15th century A.D. Though this is the officially accepted date when oil paintings were first used, there is some controversy about it that we will state later. First, we will discuss briefly what oil painting is. Oil painting is a form of painting done by mixing oils with certain other pigments, such as those from pine resin.
The credit for the first usage of oil paints is given to the 15th century European painters. They are considered the first painters to use oil paints on paintings done on wood panelling. Among them, Jan van Eyck (1395-1441), also known as Johannes van Eyck, a Flemish painter, is considered the father of oil painting. However, the treatise by Theophilus (Roger of Helmerhausen) in 1125, On Diverse Arts, has explicit instructions for oil-based painting.
The credit for the first usage of oil paints is given to the 15th century European painters. They are considered the first painters to use oil paints on paintings done on wood panelling. Among them, Jan van Eyck (1395-1441), also known as Johannes van Eyck, a Flemish painter, is considered the father of oil painting. However, the treatise by Theophilus (Roger of Helmerhausen) in 1125, On Diverse Arts, has explicit instructions for oil-based painting.