Which painting technique uses pigments bound with a drying oil?

Which painting technique uses pigments bound with a drying oil?

• A. Oil painting
• B. Fresco
• C. Tempera
• D. Encaustic

Answer: (A)

Pigments bound with a drying oil means the color is suspended in oil that hardens as it oxidizes, forming a flexible, durable film. This binding oil—like linseed oil—dries slowly, which lets artists blend pigments smoothly, create rich glazes, and build up layered textures over time. That slow, oil-based binding is the defining feature of oil painting. Other methods use different binders: fresco pigments sit in lime plaster and become part of the wall as the plaster sets; tempera uses egg yolk as the binder, drying quickly for sharp, precise lines; encaustic mixes pigments with melted beeswax, which sets when cooled. Each uses a distinct medium and drying process, so they don’t involve a drying oil binder in the same way. So the technique described is oil painting.

Pigments bound with a drying oil means the color is suspended in oil that hardens as it oxidizes, forming a flexible, durable film. This binding oil—like linseed oil—dries slowly, which lets artists blend pigments smoothly, create rich glazes, and build up layered textures over time. That slow, oil-based binding is the defining feature of oil painting.

Other methods use different binders: fresco pigments sit in lime plaster and become part of the wall as the plaster sets; tempera uses egg yolk as the binder, drying quickly for sharp, precise lines; encaustic mixes pigments with melted beeswax, which sets when cooled. Each uses a distinct medium and drying process, so they don’t involve a drying oil binder in the same way.

So the technique described is oil painting.