Aarhus, Denmark 11 06 2024, Marilyn Monroe screen prints by Andy Warhol. Credit B. Robinson, Shutterstock.com

This guide explores the history of acrylic and oil paints, how they began, what makes them unique.

Knowing the history of your materials gives depth to your practice. You're connecting to a lineage that stretches back through time, from cave paintings to Michelangelo to modern creatives. Knowing where painting came from can add richness to where you're going. Acrylic and oil painting are steeped in centuries of innovation, discovery, and artistic rebellion.

Acrylics offer you freedom and flexibility, great for fast learners and experimenters. Oils offer richness and patience, ideal for those who love blending and tradition. Neither is better. They're just different tools in the artist's toolbox.

The dawn of painting

Lascaux, France - discovered in 1940, believed to be over 17,000 years old

Long before galleries and art schools, humans were painting. Prehistoric cave dwellers were mixing earth pigments with animal fat and water. Applying them with fingers or primitive brushes to record the world around them. These early creations prove one thing: the desire to express through colour is ancient.

The rise of oil painting

Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, circa 1503, oil

Oil painting has roots going back to ancient Asia and the Middle East, but it truly flourished in Europe during the 15th century. Before oils, artists painted with egg tempera, a quick-drying mixture of pigment and egg yolk, which was vibrant but limiting. Enter oil paints, made by blending pigments with linseed oil. These new paints dried slowly, allowing more time for blending, layering, and realism.

Renaissance artist Jan van Eyck is often credited with refining oil painting. Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, used oil paint to master light, shadow, and emotion in a way that changed art forever. Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa glows with the soft blending oils made possible, Rembrandt’s portraits showcase texture, depth, and drama. Oils dominated art for centuries, from Baroque grandeur to Impressionist experiments.

The birth of acrylic paint

Aarhus, Denmark 11 06 2024, Marilyn Monroe screen prints by Andy Warhol. Credit B. Robinson, Shutterstock.com

A 20th-century innovation - unlike oil painting, acrylics are relatively new. First developed in the 1930s by German chemists, acrylic paint didn’t hit the art world until the 1950s. Marketed to artists under names like ‘Magna’ and later ‘Liquitex’, acrylics combine synthetic resins with pigment. This creates a water-soluble paint that dries rapidly, becomes waterproof, and is remarkably durable.

Modern artists who loved acrylics

David Hockney A Bigger Splash (1967) (c) David Hockney

As modern art movements broke with tradition, acrylics offered new freedom:

• Andy Warhol used acrylics in his bold, pop-art prints
• David Hockney captured California light and pools in vibrant acrylic scenes
• Street and mural artists embraced acrylics for their speed and weather resistance

Today, anyone can paint, the barriers are down, the materials are accessible, and inspiration is everywhere. Painting connects you to a human need to create, so, pick up that brush. Whether it’s acrylics, oils, or both, you’re now part of a living history that’s still being written.

If you're new to acrylics, don't stop here! Explore our other beginner-friendly guides to learn all you need to progress and develop your acrylic skills.

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