Over time these react with negatively charged components of oil called fatty acids, which have been severed from the rest of the oil molecules by light, heat and humidity. This process, known as ...

Showcasing the Romantic artist's early innovations with oil paint, "The Rising Squall" could fetch up to $400,000. Before it ...

In such circumstances, Mayern wrote, a canvas required a foundational layer of lead-rich oil. ... it’s really a 3D object because we have all of these paint layers,” she explained.

When conservators used X-rays to analyze Rembrandt’s 17th-century masterpiece “The Night Watch,” they discovered something unexpected under its surface: lead.

For instance, the eggy oil paint can take longer to dry. If paints were too yolky, Renaissance artists would have had to wait a long time to add the next layer, Ranquet says.

She layers oil paint over and over on the canvas, giving the work an impact of mixing colors as well as a sculptural aspect. Although oil paint dries slowly compared to acrylic paint, ...