A new history of painting, told through the eyes and practical knowledge of a professional artist. The first question Lachlan Goudie asks when viewing a work of art is not “why” it was created, but “how”. In this book, he explores this question across works from the earliest humans to contemporary artists, focusing on the techniques and turning points that marked each new chapter in the history of art.

Goudie knows from experience that masterpieces do not emerge quietly from an artist’s studio. They are the result of a long struggle between dirty hands and crushed pigments, brushes made from animal hair and oil, rabbit skin glue, and crushed chalk. Great paintings are always the product of a struggle involving artists and their materials, pushing them to the limits of their technical skill.

The secrets of painting primarily lie in the natural elements from which an image is made. The nature of these elements has changed over time and across continents. As each generation of painters utilizes new material and technical innovations of their era, they transform the character of their work and contribute to the progression of art history.

Goudie traces this history back to the initial 'big bang' of art: the first art pigments made from charcoal and minerals, which were used to create remarkable cave paintings at Chauvet 36,000 years ago. He continues to explore the impact of many inventions and discoveries over the centuries, including inks, fresco, egg tempera, oil paint, canvas, watercolor, gouache, impasto, oil tubes, collage, household varnish, acrylic, digital media, and artificial intelligence.

Each chapter focuses on a key technical turning point as embodied in the work of specific artists, including Giotto, Artemisia Gentileschi, Alma Thomas, Anselm Kiefer, David Hockney, and many others.