Awesome Oil Paintings

Painting is  a method expressing thoughts and imaginations of a person on a canvas. Oil painting is one of the most difficult methods among various forms of paintings. It is supposed that during the mediterranean civilization the Roman , Greek or Egyptians have extensively used mixtures of encaustic , minerals, vegetable oil for painting. But during the 15 th century this technique was lost and got replaced by oil painting. According to Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574) the technique of oil painting, was invented or re-invented in Europe around 1410 by Jan van Eyck (1390 -1441). The master piece of Van Eyck, "The wedding portrait of Giovanni Arnolfi and his wife" (supposed to be painted in 1434) is the first creation in this type . Later the great painters like Leonardo da Vinci, Giorgione, Titian improved the method of painting and now it become a challenging medium to master.

Quick drying oil is suitable for this painting. When we consider oil painting the advantage is that the corrections and changes can be made easily. Unwanted colors can be scraped over and over again without damaging the canvas. Here are some beautiful oil paintings.

Kerala Murals

The murals of Kerala are unique in their style, color and visual impact. They are considered among the finest in India due to unique depiction, variety of ornamentation, and richness in color. Kerala Murals often reflects the tradition, culture and religious beliefs and majority of this art can be found on the walls of ancient temples, churches and palaces. They are fresco and related to Dravidian art "kalamezhuth." What is believed to be the oldest murals of Kerala are found on the walls of rock temple Thirunanadikkara (now in Tamil Nadu) and are believed to be painted during the period between 9th to 12th century AD.

The period between 14th and 16th centuries is considered a classic era for Kerala murals. The murals of Mattanchery palace, Vadakkumnathan, Thrissur, Chemmanthitta and Kudamaloor still exhibits the classic examples of the creativity and skills of mural artists who lived during this period. Murals in their original beauty can still be enjoyed on the walls of the temples at Trikodithanam, Pundarikapuram, Ettumanur, Udayanapuram, Guruvayoor, Vaikom, Triprangode, Udayanapuram, Pundarikapuram and Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple at Thiruvananthapuram. And also in churches at Edappilly, Cheppad,Vechur and Mulanthuruthi. Murals at Krishnapuram palace and Padmanahapuram palace shows events of pre-historic times among many themes .

These glorious paintings are based on five base colors. They are red, yellow, black, green and white. The colors for the art are derived from natural substances and no synthetics are used. Minerals, juices, oils , herbs, roots etc form the base for colors. For example the colors like red and yellow are made from pigments of stones and green from the leaves and the blue from plants like indigo ferra. Black from carbon like soot of oil-lamps and white from lime stone. Even the brushes for painting are made from grass and hairs of animals such as goat or calf. Surface preparation for murals is a tedious job. The outline is sketched with charcoal or bamboo after the surface becomes completely dry.

Majority of Kerala murals are related to divine or heroic figures and so is considered a sacred art form. The murals of Kerala are a good example or living specimens of ancient Kerala paintings. See few of the murals that we managed to compile in the form of a gallery.

Kerala Murals

Paintings

Paintings are the best when they can reflect the emotions of the characters in it. Good painters use the best use if colors to convey these emotions.  Some paintings would even challenge photographs through classic detailing of even minor aspects on the canvas. Some of the brilliance were found in the following art works as we listed them in our site.