Canvas Facts

Oil Canvas Painting Canvas has become the most common support medium for oil painting, replacing wooden panels. One of the earliest surviving oils on canvas is a French Madonna of about 1410 in the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin, which is very early indeed for oil painting also. However panel remained much more common until the 16th century in Italy and the 17th century in Northern Europe. Mantegna and Venetian artists were among those leading the change; Venetian sail canvas was readily available and regarded as the best quality.

Early canvas was made of linen, a sturdy brownish fabric of considerable strength. Linen is particularly suitable for the use of oil paint. In the early 20th century, cotton canvas, often referred to as "cotton duck", came into use. Linen is composed of higher quality material, and remains popular with many professional artists, especially those who work with oil paint. Cotton duck, which stretches more fully and has an even, mechanical weave, offers a more economical alternative. The advent of acrylic paint has greatly increased the popularity and use of cotton duck canvas. Linen and cotton derive from two entirely different plants, the flax plant and the cotton plant.

From a technology perspective, printing on canvas isn't a new development. (Historically speaking, well, that's another matter, altogether.) The first artists to witness the magic of large format digital color output clamored for a way to print their digital artwork on something other than lackluster rolls of paper. The industry soon developed the products and techniques, swapping out the big rolls of paper media for canvas.

When displayed alongside canvas prints, images printed on conventional paper pale in comparison. When properly done, canvas prints carry an heirloom quality. The person that receives the print (whether they've purchased it or received it as a gift) looks at it with much more value. It becomes a piece of art, rather than a simple snapshot.

Updated May 16, 2008