388 PICTURES

OIL PAINTINGS

An oil painting should not be considered an impossible luxury
by a family of modest means. A young artist of ability who has
not yet attained recognition is usually willing to sell an original
oil painting that has merit for a price below fifty dollars. Such
pictures should not be confused with the commercial type of oil
paintings sometimes available in ordinary department stores.

Oil paintings are usually on canvas, preferably linen. Oil paints
are made from pigments of mineral or vegetable matter which are
well ground and mixed with fine oil. Naturally oil paintings are
more durable than water colors.

Most of the serious painting, exclusive of fresco, is done with
oil paint because of its permanence and flexibility. It dries slowly;
therefore it is the best medium for subjects that require delibera-
tion. The painter has time to analyze his work, and, if he is not
pleased, he can scrape off the paint on part or all of his picture.
Even if the paint is dry he can remove it with paint remover. He
can then repaint the picture until he is satisfied with it. Oil paint-
ings often have a studied quality due to the consideration they have
received. This is true of the author's painting of magnolias on
pages 9 and 408. On the other hand, some oil paintings are done
quickly and freely by artists who have an emotional approach.

A wide variety of techniques is possible with oil paints. Good
and bad pictures are painted in all techniques. The uninitiated
should not make the mistake of thinking that a smooth surface is
preferable to others.

Some artists employ thin oil paint; others prefer a consistency
similar to that of house paint, which can be applied in several ways.
Some who use the thick paint just as it comes from the tubes apply
it to the canvas so that it is l/s inch thick in places. Fairly thick
paint may be applied all over a canvas or only in those foreground
parts that receive emphasis. The size and shape and the handling
of the brush are also important factors in technique.

Because of its flexibility oil paint encourages experimentation in
texture, which is now receiving more attention than formerly.
Texture as well as technique are only means to an end, however,
and are unimportant in oil paintings except as they help artists to
express their ideas.