The Surprisingly Rich History Of Easels

An easel is a supportive device that is commonly used to display various materials related to paintings, drawings and presentations. By far, they are the most popular for artist's and businessmen's use. Hence, easels come in different types and forms.

The artist's easel, display easel and portable easel may come in a wide range of sizes depending on the height and width of the materials that are displayed. Thus, there are also tripod and H-frame designs. As the name suggests, the former is three-legged based, while the latter is right-angle based.

Easels possess a rich history. It all began when Egyptians used an elevated platform to display the tablets which contained works of art and writing of religious connotations. Although the term was still not derived at that period, it gained popularity and cultural relevance in the society.

In the midst of the first century, it was believed that Pliny the Elder, an author of the book of Natural History which was published in AD 77, officially mentioned the term "easel" pertaining to a large panel that is used for painting by an artist.

Furthermore, more evidence was sought in China upon discovering an 8th century painting by scholar Wang Wei. It depicted a man using an easel-like structure while studying. From then on, proof began appearing.

In the 12th century, monks made use of illuminated easels to write their manuscripts. These famous writings remained as precious as their lives. Hence, utilizing an easel was synonymous to producing one's best written creations.

During the renaissance in the 13th century, art had become a ubiquitous demand from society. Painted art almost replaced the once popular murals. As canvas paintings were growing in number, likewise was the desire for the use of easels to support these creative outputs.

As years went by, easels were modified to suit the growing demands of artists. The basic easel that was just used for painting purposes had additional relatives associated with its use. For instance, a chair was included to help the artist get comfortable during his painting.

In the 15th century, the portable easel hit the markets. Artists were encouraged to go mobile while carrying this new contraption. Bolstered by this newfound ease of setting up and packing, the subject of paintings was shifted from the portrait to the landscape. Artists traipse the countryside to capture anything that meets their eyes.

The value of an easel has increased over time depending on its age and decorations. Today, it has not only been recognized as a work of art. It has also become a treasure to antique collectors. Thus, the older it gets, the more valuable it becomes.

The existence of the easel nowadays serves a number of different people from professionals down to kids in preschool. One no longer needs to become an artist or a painter to use one nor does one need to traverse the countryside to capture something very beautiful. In fact, the easel has come to a complete customization over time. It has become a part of society, of every household and above all, of every culture known to exist.