The article debunks the long-held myth that Flemish painter Jan van Eyck invented oil painting, tracing the origin of the technique back to 7th-century Afghanistan. It recounts how Giorgio Vasari's 1550 biography "Lives of the Artists" falsely credited van Eyck with the invention after a story about the artist seeking a sun-proof medium. In reality, oil-based paints were used by Buddhist artists in the Bamiyan valley caves centuries earlier, and ancient Egyptians also combined oils with pigments for cosmetics.
This matters because it corrects a persistent historical inaccuracy that has shaped Western art history for nearly 500 years. While van Eyck did not invent oil paint, the article acknowledges his crucial role in popularizing and perfecting the medium, enabling techniques like thin glazes that produced luminous, detailed works such as "The Arnolfini Portrait." The story illustrates how art historical narratives can become entrenched, and how modern research continues to refine our understanding of artistic innovation.