Acrylic vs. Oil: Brief History And Goals

In this series of articles, I’d like to look at these two mediums from a professional and responsible artist’s point of view, thinking about the artwork itself and the impacts that working with these mediums includes. There is no straightforward answer to what’s better and I don’t think such a question can really be valid; this article is aimed to make an informed choice for this or that art project. I’ll try to be as straight to the point as possible.

Oil Paints

It’s hard to say when the oil painting was really invented, as more and more evidence comes up with archeological searches (it’s saying that the first oil paintings found belong to the 7th AD), but we can definitely say that oil painting practice was actively adopted and developing during the Renaissance time, in 1500s. There were two main schools, based in the Netherlands (that led to the establishment of the Old Holland company) and based in Italy. Key contributors include Van Eyck, Giovanni Bellini, Leonardo, Titian, Vermeer and others.

The goal of oil painting was to create art that would last long and offer the optical sensation of depth, light and life. Initially, oil paints were made of pigment and oil. Some artists were adding resins made from saps of different plants and trees to achieve this or that optical effect.

However, later, when manufacturers started producing paints in mass quantities, oil paints got a broader use, including industrial and household paint. To shorten drying times, as well as to increase spreading properties, toxic solvents (such as turpentine and white spirits) were added.

Acrylic Paints

Acrylic paints were invented quite recently, in 1934, by the German chemical company BASF, patented by Rohm and Haas. The goal of the creation of acrylic paint was to replace oil paint in household and industrial painting with faster drying and less toxic solutions. They really did this job well and keep doing so. Painting walls with acrylic is much cheaper, less toxic and much faster than with oil.

By the 1960s artists adopted acrylic paints as a practice. All we know is that this time is associated with the mass-production and consumerism era.