Portrait of a Man 1460

Antonello da Messina made this panel painting of an unknown man in the 15th century, using oil on wood. Think about the qualities of oil paint here. The colours are rich and deep, the textures are smoothly blended, and the details are crisp. It shows us how far oil painting had come in a relatively short time. What began as a medium for adding subtle illusionistic details to tempera paintings quickly became the dominant method of image making. It also took enormous skill to apply the paint in such a controlled manner, building the image up layer by layer. This wasn't just a question of technique, but also of patience and time, all of which had a direct economic value in the competitive world of Renaissance art. Antonello has given us more than just a likeness; he's shown us the value of slow, careful labour made visible. He challenges the divide between art and craft, and it’s in how he has made this image that we can see the true artistry of the work.