Lead Priming and the Test of Time

[Marvin Mattelson]

Throughout history, there have been many instances of artists, great and not so great, who have experimented with a wide variety of mediums, grounds and surfaces. Some of those experiments turned out to be quite disastrous.

Reynolds, for example, was known to have had paintings deteriorate almost immediately upon completion. Many works painted by artists in the last hundred years are in much worse shape than paintings from the seventeenth century. Odd Nerdrum was recently sued by a patron because his painting was literally sliding off the canvas.

Artists looking for "the secrets of the old masters" have assumed that there was a secret ground or medium which would provide "the answer." The truth is, the old masters used sound techniques and could flat out paint and draw.

Using oil paints with almost any ground will give you a physical bond. The oil paint grabs onto the texture or into the pores, however, a physical bond may not be enough. The paint can delaminate and separate from the ground. There is a distinct possibility a painting could literally peel off.

Traditionally, oil painters used lead oil priming over rabbit skin glue as the ground for their paintings. First on wood and then on canvas, This method has been utilized since since the infancy of oil painting. The priming gave the oil a surface to bond to. The rabbit skin sizing acts as a buffer and keeps the priming from discoloring.

When you use lead priming you get both a physical as well as a chemical bond. Paint and ground become one allowing your portrait the best chance of standing the test of time and the potential to one day be an heirloom.