The Oil Painting Experience

If you are new to the oil painting experience online, it is important to remember, as you navigate for larger images with the thumbnails at right, that all the images on this site are simulacra. They are a substitute for the primary experience of being in an actual gallery or artist's studio.

Digital Imagery

A camera lens can only capture what it sees on the surface.

The power of an oil painting is dependent, to a large degree, on under-painting…the pigments applied in steps in building a final image. This dimension is entirely overlooked by the camera lens which means that the actual painting is far richer than what is viewed on the your monitor.

When viewing an actual oil painting, light rays pass between color pigments suspended in the upper layer of oil.

Once penetrating this layer, some of the rays meet color particles in lower layers only to be reflected back to the viewer. The multiple rays present a panoply of color not experienced elsewhere.

Since Florence of the 1400s, some artists still employ the technique of applying a gesso of sepia tone, in order to vibrate the eye from beneath the painted image.

Navigation

One can use the thumbnails at right in order to get to larger images that have dimensions. Each larger image page has arrows that can be engaged to activate a slide show. One can return to this Gallery page from all pages on this site.