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Painting ARTS and ENTERTAINMENT

PAINTING

Painting is the art of creating

pictures by applying colour to a

surface. Paintings can record events,

capture a likeness of a person, place,

or object, tell stories, decorate walls,

and illustrate texts. Paintings can

express emotions and ideas, or

simply be enjoyed for their beauty.

WHAT KINDS OF PAINTS DO ARTISTS USE?

Paint is made by mixing a pigment (coloured powder)

with a medium (liquid substance) such as water. Egg is

the medium for tempera painting, linseed oil for oil

painting, and acrylic resin for acrylic painting. In

fresco wall paintings, pigments are applied to wet

plaster. Watercolours are made by mixing pigments

with a water-soluble binder such as gum.

HOW AND WHEN DID PAINTING BEGIN?

Some 30,000 years ago, early humans ground up earth,

charcoal, and minerals, and used the coloured powders

to create images on cave walls. Sometimes these were

mixed with saliva or animal fat and blown through

reeds, or applied with fingers. The first paintings were

of wild animals, including lions and bears.

WHAT SUBJECTS DO ARTISTS PAINT?

Some artists paint aspects of the visible world, such as

people, landscapes, still-lifes of tableware, fruit and

flowers, or scenes from history, literature, and the

imagination. Such paintings are realistic – they look

like something real. Other paintings are abstract –

they are not meant to look like anything from the

real world, but use colours, shapes, and lines to

express feelings, moods, or ideas.

1 ROMAN PORTRAIT, 1ST CENTURY CE

This fresco, by an unknown artist, was rescued from

the ruins of Pompeii, Italy. It shows the Roman

painter’s ability to create a realistic portrait, and also

his interest in depicting the social position of the

young couple, believed to be a lawyer and his wife.

1 MONA LISA, C. 1503-1506

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) is

probably the most famous painting in Western art.

Set against a misty mountain background, a young

Florentine woman gazes at us with a mysterious

smile that has fascinated generations of viewers.

1 KANGAROO DREAMING, MICHAEL NELSON JAGAMARA, 2000
Traditionally, the paintings of Aboriginal Australians tell stories of sacred
ancestors. The apparently abstract symbols at the centre represent fire and
rain. The snakes are a supernatural being called the Rainbow Serpent.

OCULUS, GONZAGA PALACE, MANTUA, ITALY 2

In this example of illusionism, Andrea

Mantegna (c. 1431–1506) painted a

fake oculus (circular opening) on

the palace ceiling, so that the

room seems to open on to

the sky. Figures peer

over, and a plant

pot delicately

balances.

Cracks in

plaster on

which fresco

painting was

created

Rocky landscape, often

a feature in Leonardo’s

paintings

Calm pose with folded

hands resting on

chair arm

Individual, parallel

brushstrokes

Strong outline adds

emphasis to eye

Craquelure (cracks)

caused by drying

and ageing of paint

Sfumato (smoky)

technique blends

tones and blurs lines

Stylus (writing

tool) held by

wife indicates

status