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Oil Paints
Oil painting originated in Northern Europe as early as the 12th century. By the 15th century, artists in Southern Europe were adopting the medium. It continued to be the preferred medium throughout the west until the mid 20th century.
Oil paints consist of ground pigments mixed with an oil binder and with various admixtures can be applied in thin glazes or thick impasto. It is highly flexible and slow drying so it can be worked for a long period of time.
There are now several kinds of oil paint including traditional kind as described above, alkyd (which is faster drying) and water soluable (which can be mixed and cleaned up with water). Oil bars are also available which can be mixed directly with wet oil paint.
Anthony van Dyck; self-portrait; after 1633; oil on canvas
El Greco; View of Toledo; between 1596 and 1600; oil on canvas
Konstantin Savitsky; Repairing the Railway; 1874; oil on canvas
Gilbert Stuart; George Washington (The Constable-Hamilton Portrait); 1797; oil on canvas
The above images are in the public domain.
Some sites with information about oil paint:
The Metropolitan Museum
Winsor and Newton
Some artists of the past who worked with oil paint:
N C Wyeth
Georgia O'Keeffe
Peter Paul Rubens
Rembrandt van Rijn
Some contemporary artists who use oil paint:
Janet Fish
Michael Fitzpatrick
Allie Regan
Adam Lupton
Fred Einaudi
Jeff Cohen
Alessio Radice