Revolutionary Artistic Inventions

Although the saying goes that there is nothing new under the sun, that’s not quite true. At some point, someone had to invent the basic materials from which the rest of us can build upon. Artistic and creative people all over the world owe a debt of gratitude to early humans who first ground plants into pigment and those clever Egyptians who flattened reeds into papyrus. Modern day creativity stands on the shoulders of those long ago who did indeed create something new.

Kilns

Kilns were probably invented by accident when a prehistoric human left clay too close to the fire and discovered the new extremely useful hardened material. The ability to carry water and food easily was no doubt the first use of these new non-porous vessels, but it didn’t take long for someone to start fashioning clay into humanoid figures as talismans or decorations. The earliest one found is over 27,000 years old.  Today there are many types and sizes of kilns. Some artists prefer to use an outdoor brick kiln with real fire fashioned after the original type. Other artists, however, feel they don’t need to suffer quite as much for their art and enjoy the cool air from their commercial AC and the precision of their electric kilns.

Paint

Cave paintings from 40,000 years ago (and perhaps even thousands of years older) contain pictures drawn with different colors showing humans desire to express accuracy in their illustrated representations of man and beast. Ancient Egyptians and Romans were very fond of vivid colors and much art and decoration has survived 2000 years later.  Europeans later struggled with how to get paint to adhere lastingly to paper. Paint was ground by hand and often mixed with egg yolk or some other substance to help bind it to a surface. Unused paint that had already been mixed went to waste.  In 1841, metal tubes were fashioned to hold oil paint so that artists were free to set up their easels and work wherever they got the notion too. They were no longer tied to their studios, nor did they necessarily need assistants. Anyone with enough money to buy a paint set could become an artist.

Paper

Crafting papyrus into a writing material became a real game-changer in the fourth millennium BCE when ancient Egyptians began to manufacture it. Accounts could be kept, and memories recorded. In the new millennium, parchment and vellum made from animal skins began to displace papyrus because it was finer and easier to roll and carry. At about the same time in China, paper made from mulberry bark pulp was being invented. Invading Muslims brought the secret art to Europe and the beginnings of paper as we know it started to spread. The invention of the printing press in 1450, of course, meant that creative words and designs could eventually be produced and shared with a wider audience. The first paper mills in the United States opened in 1690.

Canvas

Fine art for people’s homes and public buildings used to be painted on wood panels. In the 1300s in Italy, canvas, made from stretched fabric, arrived on the scene. Although not immediately embraced by artists, it eventually became the preferred base of paintings due to its affordability and convenience. Although paintings on canvas were originally viewed as poor step-cousins to painted wood panels, the eventual decay of the wooden masterpieces changed the minds of art patrons. By the 1700s, everyone was painting on canvas, a tradition that continues to this day even with art classes for the very young. The vast majority of the world’s most famous artwork from Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to Claude Monet’s Water Lilies are painted on canvas.

There are many more incredible inventions that artists use today as inspiration, a medium, or an ancillary tool for their art. From sewing machines to cameras and from stained glass to computer technology, there is an unending combination of materials and creativity to fuel the art world for thousands of years.