So who was the first person to put oil to velvet? Did somebody in the 16th century who couldn’t afford to stretch a canvas, have a eureka moment? Did any velvet oil paintings ever hang in any legitimate gallerys? Was there ever a moment in time when it wasn’t considered gauche? Has history recorded the first person to paint Elvis on velvet?
Screw the masters…I GOTTA KNOW THIS.
Well, a few nitpicks- Oil paints would eat right through the velvet (as it will unprimed canvas). Black velvet paintings are always in Acrylic for this reason, also because acrylics dry faster which makes for more efficient commercial applications. As for the cost issue, not likely, since velvet costs up to 10x as much as canvas.
I would guess that the reason for painting cheap, quick wall-art on velvet is that it is possible to create depth and drama with relatively few strokes- layering and reworking are in fact counterproductive and mat the velvet down. This is not a great example but it probably took the artist/craftsperson about 20 minutes.
I would actually like to know more about the history of the art myself- all the books I’ve seen are just wink-wink compilations, or at best essays- no serious histories.
Here (the top image) is an example of non-“gauche” black velvet art- the artist was my freshman painting professor and I am a big fan.
Very cool, finette6! It hadn’t occurred to me that someone might use black velvet for “real” art.
I’m also hoping someone who knows something will come along, because it’s an interesting question.