Since Vasari did not know the ‘secret medium”, what oil painting method did Vasari and his peers use?
Vasari and his colleagues used a method of oil painting still in use today and taught at the highest and lowest academic levels around the world. This method needs several ingredients, each serves a specific purpose, and it can be called the “solvent-resin-varnish-drier method” ( made more difficult by modern alkali refined linseed oil). 1. SOLVENTS: Different types of solvents such as Turpentine, were used. The main purpose was to thin the paint. It also helped the paint to dry faster. Solvents evaporate completely except old turpentine leaves a sticky residue that does not dry well. Solvents have another purpose, which is to liquefy resins. The defect of solvents is that they break the bond between the pigment powder and the oil. 2. RESINS: Resins are hard or thick gummy substances. This stickiness helps oil paint stick where it is placed, and prevents the oil paint from dripping down. When a resin is mixed with a solvent, it becomes thinned enough to be easily mixed with oil. Painte
