Oil Paint Revolution

The real advantage of oil was time. It dried slowly, so artists could blend colors seamlessly and render textures with photographic precision. Van Eyck used this to paint the reflection in a single pearl, the individual hairs of a fur collar, or the legible text of an open book.

Working wet meant he could adjust and refine a passage for days. The result was a level of obsessive detail that quick-drying tempera simply could not reach.