Welcome to the third post in our series on DIY Art Appraising. We are gearing up for our Art for Everyone show on June 5! Today we are featuring an article on how to identify acrylic paintings.
I think that people often assume that a painting is an oil when it could, in reality, be an acrylic. Acrylic paint can be used like oil and it can also be used like watercolor. This makes it all the harder to identify the medium.
If you believe a painting was made before the 1940s, you can dismiss the possibility that it is an acrylic. The acrylic painting process was not invented until 1903 and it was not commercially available before the 1940s -1950’s. The only painters who worked with it before this time were Mexican mural artists in the 1930’s. Acrylic paint’s weather-resistant
qualities made it an ideal medium for their outdoor murals.
Acrylics are fast drying so the artist must work quickly. Used directly from the tube, they are like oil paints. If they are watered down they can be used like a watercolor paint. They are insoluble and can be painted over if necessary. Because of it’s versatility, it can be used on a variety of surfaces other than canvas or watercolor paper. Crafts people use it to paint everything from wood to glass. It dries harder than other mediums, it is easy to mix the colors, and the clean-up process is simple compared to oils.
You may have heard of Diego Rivera (the painting above is The Flower Carrier by Rivera) or Roy Lichtenstein. Both of these artist worked in acrylics. Identifying an acrylic painting can be difficult. First, identify the subject matter. Remember that acrylics did not exist before the 1940s. Acrylics reflect light much better than oil paintings. Acrylic paint will often stand out further on the canvas than an oil to provide unique surfaces and textures. I find that acrylic paint colors are brighter and more vivid than oils. Modern, contemporary, and abstract artist frequently work in acrylics.
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