Painting

Painting is the art of creating pictures, also known as paintings. Wet colors are applied to a painting surface using brushes, palette knives or other tools. Painting is one of the classic genres of fine art, alongside architecture, sculpture, graphic art and drawing.

Painting encompasses various techniques and applications, including panel and wall painting, glass and book illumination as well as painting on clay, ceramics and other surfaces such as paper or plastic.

The history of painting goes back a long way, with early evidence such as cave and rock paintings in various parts of the world. In ancient times, encaustic and tempera painting were the preferred techniques. The color palette of antiquity can only be roughly reconstructed due to limited archaeological evidence, with red and blue known to be the best preserved colors.

Various painting techniques were used throughout history, including fresco painting, tempera painting, oil painting, watercolor painting and gouache painting. Modern developments have expanded the possibilities for expression, such as the introduction of acrylic paint around 1960, which dries quickly and retains its luminosity.

Painting is usually done by hand, but there are also artists who paint by mouth or foot, such as the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists.