Buy oil painted artworks

The invention of oil paints is one of the most important discoveries in the history of art. The great masterpieces of painting were created by these colours: Mona Lisa, Las Meninas, The Girl with the Pearl Earring, The Return of the Prodigal Son, Boulevard des Capucines, Guernica and many others. This is the cultural heritage of humanity.

What is the history of oil drawing?

For thousands of years people have used ground minerals for painting: limestone, coal, clay, iron and copper ores… One of the problems was finding substances that would bind the pigments and make the paint layer strong. In Antiquity and the Middle Ages such substances were animal glue and egg. Meanwhile, oil paintings appeared in Afghanistan! Buddhist monks were using vegetable oils as binding agents as early as the 7th century. This technology came to Europe much later. Oil was used to decorate Gothic wooden sculptures. Oil painting was pioneered by Dutch artists in the 15th century, notably Jan van Eyck and his circle. Painters in Europe experimented for a long time with different minerals, oils, primers and varnishes. It was very difficult to find such ingredients that the paint layer would not darken, would not crack and would be durable. Many paintings perished or lost their appearance because of faulty technology. Today, oil paints are not self-made but bought – they are quite cheap and have a huge palette.

What is oil drawing as a type of technic

So, oil paints are pigments mixed with vegetable oils into a thick substance. If the artist paints thickly, pastosely, achieving a texture in relief (using stiff brushes, palette knife or even fingers), it is not necessary to dilute the colour. But thin glazes with translucent watercolour-like layers require diluents such as turpentine, vegetable oils, fir lacquer or others. These ingredients make a fresh oil painting have a slight, specific smell – that’s how art smells! You can paint with oil colour on primed cardboard, chipboard, canvas, wood… It takes a while to dry the surface and sometimes a special varnish is applied after it dries. The oil can be mixed with other ingredients for texture, such as sand or metallic powder, or combined with collage elements.

Famous oil painters

Jan van Eyck popularised oil painting in northern Europe. He skilfully glazed, rendered airy environments and light effects – as on the famous Ghent altarpiece (1432). The altar was painted on boards, but a little later European painters began to paint on primed canvases. Each great master developed his own style. Leonardo da Vinci, for example, invented sfumato, a delicate haze, to convey an airy perspective. For a long time painters have been painting delicately, multi-layered, “licking” the surface (this technique reached its apotheosis in academism, and today flourishes in hyper-realism, by the way). There are, however, examples of the early use of texture, for example, paintings by Rembrandt in the impasto technique, they are in relief and “alive”. The heyday of emotional texture painting started in the XIX century, with such works of art as Turner, impressionists, postimpressionists (for example, Van Gogh), modernists of different trends… The XXI century absorbed all traditions, and today there are no style restrictions, most artists all over the world work with oil.

What oil painted artworks can be?

Oil colours are extremely plastic and expressive, so they can be used in all styles and genres.

Landscape (compare Canaletto, Cézanne, Seurat)
Portrait (both Gainsborough and Warhol are good)
still life (e.g. Heda and Morandi)
abstraction (Kandinsky, Rothko)
surrealism (Bosch, Ernst, Kopera)
cubism (Gris, Hewett)
Realism (Vermeer, Daumier, Repin)

These fascinating comparisons can be continued endlessly and one can become convinced of the incredible possibilities of oil painting.

Oil drawing in Eastern Europe

The traditions of oil painting in Eastern Europe are very strong. Poland, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Russia, Armenia, and practically everywhere else, have developed their own school of painting, there have been outstanding masters, and today there are thousands of talented artists at work. The largest museums in the region have recognized vintage masterpieces: “Burlaki on the Volga” by Ilya Repin, “Melancholia” by Jacek Malczewski, “Armenia” by Martiros Saryan, “Eve of Bartholomew Night” by Carl Huns and many others. There are many art schools of the highest calibre in Eastern Europe that teach the art of oil painting.

Oil paintings on G.ART Gallery

The professionalism of the artists is confirmed by the large oil painting galleries on the G.ART platform. Dozens of artists from Eastern Europe have submitted oil paintings for sale online. It is impossible to list all the styles, genres and subjects in the G.ART selection: psychological portrait, nude, lyrical landscape, realistic still life, surrealistic fantasy, botanical illustration… No doubt, with such a range any buyer will choose a work to their liking.

How to choose oil painted artwork?

In order to choose an oil painting unmistakably, keep a few rules in mind. Paintings and the interior should not conflict in style and colour. Decide in which room the painting will be located, what size and shape you need – large oil paintings on canvas will dominate the interior, while several smaller works of different shapes can be interestingly combined on the wall. The style of the painting is also important: realism is always a win-win situation, but if you want to experiment, look out for abstraction or surrealism. If you’re at a loss for choice, the G.ART Gallery experts will advise you and give you more information about the artist.

How to buy oil painting on G.ART?

Where can I buy works by contemporary artists? Of course, you can visit exhibitions and galleries and talk to art dealers. But if you want to buy an oil painting online quickly and with the greatest comfort, explore the G.ART Gallery collection. The advantages of the online platform are:

Fair prices with the highest quality and a large range
The minimum time needed to place an order
convenient forms of payment
quick delivery by reputable companies
high quality packaging to prevent damages
advice and support of customers