Oil painting
Technique of the European painting that its importance increases steadily since the late of the 15th century. Already known in antiquity by the use of practical chores like painting houses, knew huge improvements and refinements in Flanders of the 15th century and gradually was adopted by Italian artists of the era. The colors in powder, mixed with oil (usually linseed oil) in order to be quite viscous, spread in a prepared background-usually a stretched cloth coated with a neutral dye (bolus). In the most perfect form, such as the work of old masters, the technique of oil painting is linked with the careful spreading of colors, the transition from darker to lighter tones and broad knowledge of possible interactions of various pigments, various chemicals used can affect each other and, if not carefully spread to affect at one time the layers of color that are next to or over them. Colors can also be spread so as to have a degree of transparency of the last layer, and can also used colored transparent varnish to achieve further gradations. Apart from the huge tonal refinement that ensures the oil painting, the surface texture can be changed either by using thick layers of paint (impasto) or leaving visible passes of the brush.