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From the beginning of time, mankind has possessed a deep-seated desire to express himself artistically. Over the centuries the world of art has progressed from crude drawings done in pigments on cave walls to lifelike oil paintings done on enormous canvases. Artistic expression links mankind on all continents, as all people groups and cultures have rich art histories.

Antique paintings are more important to civilization than merely decoration on the walls. Artwork can link us with the past. We can observe through artwork the lifestyles, architecture, and interests of people who lived long ago. We can learn about particular painters by considering the subject matter they chose, the medium they used, and the locations of their landscapes.

Throughout history, artists have developed various media in which to work. A medium or media is the materials that the artist used to create his artwork. Common media are oil, acrylic, watercolor, ink, pencils, and pastels. Also considered media are things used for sculpture, such as clay or porcelain.

OIL PAINTINGS

When thinking of antique paintings, most people think of the lovely oil paintings of the Renaissance masters. Oil paintings are created by pigment (color) particles suspended in an oil base, allowing them to be spread on a surface. Generally the oil used is linseed oil. Oil paintings are generally created in layers, as the oil can be thinned to create translucent layers. The old Renaissance masters used layering techniques, especially for portraiture. They realized that human skin was translucent, reflecting light from the surface and the deeper skin layers. By using oil paints their paintings were able to show this, and create realistic representations of people. The beauty and luminosity of the colors are unsurpassed by any other medium, which explains why oil painting has been the most popular choice of fine artists throughout the past five hundred years.

Oil paintings take much longer to dry than other mediums; this fact meant that the artist could blend layers over a longer period of time. Oil paintings also have distinctive textures to them. The painter uses more paint on the canvas to emphasize heaviness and less paint to represent lightness; therefore, an oil painting will feature thicker gobs of paint with individual brushstrokes visible in the painting.

Modern artists have the luxury of purchasing ready-made art supplies at a store for their use. However in the past, an artist had to create his own paints and pastels. It was not until the Industrial Revolution of the eighteen hundreds that paints and art supplies were manufactured on a large enough scale to influence the lives of artists. Prior to this point, artists had to create the paints needed each day for the art on which they would be working. An artist had to become expert at grinding pigments and blending them with the oils needed to create a masterpiece.

Around 1410, Jan van Eyck, a Flemish painter, pioneered the process of creating paints using linseed oil, which trapped and reflected light. His portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife exemplifies the beauty of oil paints created using modern methods.

WATERCOLOR PAINTINGS

Watercolor paintings are created using paints in which pigments are suspended in water-soluble bases. Albrecht Dürer was the pioneer artist in this medium. It largely went unused, except by botanical artists, until the late eighteenth century, when artists rediscovered this medium and it began to gain popularity. This is also the era when manufacturers began to market commercial preparations of watercolors for sale. Winslow Homer was an American artist in this period whose watercolors were quite influential.

Watercolor is generally done on heavy paper that absorbs the paints. Many times the artist uses “washes” in which large sections of the painting are wet down with pigment. These washes eliminate brushstrokes and can convey the subtle hue changes seen in nature, as in a sunset or in the ocean. The color can be changed and effects added by brushing in other washes on top of the original color, using overlaying techniques. The texture of the paper influences the painting, as it is always visible in a watercolor, instead of being covered by the paints, as in an oil painting. In general, artists sketch out the basics of their painting on the paper before beginning to paint.

PASTELS

Pastels are a relative newcomer to the art world. In the early 1500’s a painter by the name of Jean Perreal created the form of pastels we are familiar with today. He mixed pigments with a binder to create sticks for drawing. They were used by Renaissance artists occasionally, but usually were seen as a medium used for laying out quick sketches. They were generally only available in three colors: red, black and white.

Rosalba Carriera began using colored pastels for portraits, and influenced the painters of that day to see pastels as a legitimate media for fine artwork. Artists found that they enjoyed being able to work in full color without having to wait for paints to dry. Impressionists found pastels to be the perfect medium for their light, airy paintings. Edgar Degas and Mary Cassat used pastels for the soft effects they lent to the subject matter.

Pastels are a favorite of artists because they combine the speed and ease of drawing and sketching with the color, beauty, and blending ability of paints. Pastels are blended directly on the paper and by using overlaying techniques. Artists use their fingers to mix and blend colors on textured paper. The individual pastel strokes can be left visible or blended out to create pools of color on the paper.

Artists may use conventional drawing techniques with pastels. Hatching and cross-hatching, as well as feathering, shading and stippling all are favored techniques by the pastel artist. A pastel painting will appear more like a drawing than a painting, but the colors will be vibrant and beautiful as in other forms of painting.

ACRYLIC PAINTINGS

Acrylics are one of the newest forms of paint created. Since these were only invented in the nineteen-forties, no one is going to find an antique painting done in acrylic. Acrylic can be used in similar ways that oil painting is. However, to an educated eye, there is no comparison between the two mediums.

Acrylics are less expensive than oil paintings, they dry quickly and they clean up with water. These reasons make them very popular with artists. However, since they are made from plastics, the finished painting has a “plastic” appearance to it. Additionally, acrylic paints go on much more smoothly than oils, so the brushstrokes will be flat and smooth, instead of slightly bumpy or gobby like an oil paint. If you find a painting that appears to be an antique, but it is done in acrylic, then you are not really looking at an antique.

VALUABLE PAINTINGS

Valuing a painting is not an exact science. So many times it can depend on trends and styles. In some years a painting could be worth more than in others. Value is all what someone wants to pay for something.

A painting will not be valuable simply because it is old. In the eighteen hundreds, every well-bred, finished gentlewoman was instructed in painting, drawing and other forms of art. Therefore, thousands of these antique paintings exist that are worth very little on the open market.

Generally there are some very vague guidelines for valuing art. The notoriety of the artist will influence the value of a painting. If an artist was a celebrity of some sort, even if they were a mediocre artist, the artwork will be higher in value. If someone famous or popular owned a piece of work, then after that person’s death that work may be worth more money.

The desires of collectors will influence the value of a painting as well. If a certain artist is seen as notable, then the artwork will be worth more money. For instance, Van Gogh sold only one painting in his lifetime. But since his death, his paintings are worth millions. He created multiple paintings of sunflowers, but they have all sold for widely varying amounts of money. Who knows why some are considered more valuable than others?

Therefore, collecting antique artwork will be an uncertain business. However, even if an antique painting found in a thrift store or at auction is not valued highly by collectors, it does not mean that the painting has no value. If the painting makes you feel good or speaks to something deep in your soul, the price-tag on it makes little difference. How can one put a price tag upon the deepest yearnings of the human heart?