The invention of oil paint changed the direction of art. It brought about the Renaissance and new ways of painting. Previously pigment needed to be mixed with eggs or fresco. Both would dry very quickly and didn’t last very long. They could dry and chip away, and the color pigments would fade. Jan Van Eyck, a Flemish painter, was looking for a better way. He began mixing the pigments with oil, such as linseed oil. This allowed artist to be more precise with their paintings. It takes much longer to dry so they are able to mix and add details they were not able to before. This technique also preserves much better. We are able to look at paintings from the 15th century that are the same today as they were back then. Jan Van Eyck’s very famous
