Painting in the form of pigmented surface decoration was practiced as far back as the Paleolithic Era, but contemporary painting has come a long way from its origins in wall and cave paintings. The development of the painting medium was initially contingent on the availability of local natural pigments. It was only with advancements in trade and chemistry that painters were afforded the scope and flexibility that they enjoy today.
As a fine art, painting found its stride during the Renaissance. In that era, from the 14th to the 17th centuries, artists developed perspective in painting as well as a more naturalistic representation of the human form. Artists also gained considerable personal renown. From that time to the present, painting has been a bellwether of avant garde artistic movements, and has spurred corresponding movements in other visual mediums as well as in disciplines such as music and literature.
Painting has undergone countless transformations. Once artists perfected the accurate rendering of the world around them, they were challenged to discover new ways to articulate their particular visions. The radical departure represented by color field painting and abstract art in the mid-20th century was one response to this challenge. Contemporary painters continue to face the same possibilities and dilemmas. Through choices in the construction, distortion, or rejection of a scene or figure and through the use of color, composition and texture, painters are able to express their ideas to the farthest extent that their imaginations allow. It is perhaps the most of universal of mediums, both in its practice and in its range. As Hans Hoffman observed, "through a painting we can see the whole world."
