<P> As public preference for naturalism increased , the quick - drying tempera paints became insufficient to achieve the very detailed and precise effects that oil could achieve . The Early Netherlandish painting of the 15th century saw the rise of the panel painting purely in oils , or oil painting , or works combining tempera and oil painting , and by the 16th century easel painting in pure oils had become the norm , using much the same techniques and materials found today . The claim by Vasari that Jan van Eyck `` invented '' oil painting is not correct but has cast a long shadow , but van Eyck 's use of oil paint achieved novel results in terms of precise detail and mixing colours wet - on - wet with a skill hardly equalled since . Van Eyck 's mixture may have consisted of piled glass , calcined bones , and mineral pigments boiled in linseed oil until they reached a viscous state -- or he may have simply used sun - thickened oils ( slightly oxidized by Sun exposure ) . He left no written documentation . </P>
<P> As public preference for naturalism increased , the quick - drying tempera paints became insufficient to achieve the very detailed and precise effects that oil could achieve . The Early Netherlandish painting of the 15th century saw the rise of the panel painting purely in oils , or oil painting , or works combining tempera and oil painting , and by the 16th century easel painting in pure oils had become the norm , using much the same techniques and materials found today . The claim by Vasari that Jan van Eyck `` invented '' oil painting is not correct but has cast a long shadow , but van Eyck 's use of oil paint achieved novel results in terms of precise detail and mixing colours wet - on - wet with a skill hardly equalled since . Van Eyck 's mixture may have consisted of piled glass , calcined bones , and mineral pigments boiled in linseed oil until they reached a viscous state -- or he may have simply used sun - thickened oils ( slightly oxidized by Sun exposure ) . He left no written documentation . </P>
who is credited with the reinvention and popularization of oil paints
who is credited with the reinvention and popularization of oil paints
Jan van Eyck
Jan van Eyck