Late 15th century
Antonello da Messina
Antonello da Messina was the first painter of note to advance Van Eycks’ formula into a discovery of his own. Instead of the mixture being an additive to the tempera paint medium, he abandoned the tempera tradition altogether, creating some of the first true oil paintings in history. His medium which consisted of linseed or walnut oil boiled to a gel, contained the added ingredient of lead. This additive reacted with the pigments, creating a brighter tone. The lead and oil mixture blended more easily with the pigments, lending a smoother consistency, giving Messina an added freedom. Grinding of the pigments within this lead medium was key to his technique.
Giovanni Bellini
During this age, formulas for medium were closely guarded by those who developed and used them. Messina’s change of Van Eyck’s formula garnered the attention of Giovanni Bellini. It was Bellini’s bold theft of a sample of this medium and subsequent testing that ‘let the cat out of the bag’ so to speak. Advances thereafter came quickly as artists became interested in creating their own formulations based on the discovery of Messina’s.
