Geniuses such as Da Vinci, Monet and van Gogh created some of the world’s most incredible works of art. These and other gifted artists used oil paint, water colors, charcoal, chalk and more. But why is it that no masterpieces were created using crayons?
Did crayons not exist during the time of Renaissance masters? Actually, they did. Encaustic painting (crayon-like drawings) were created using a combination of hot beeswax and pigments, and can be traced back to 100 A.D. The word “crayon” came into usage as early as 1644 and crayons, as we know them today, were invented in 1903 by cousins Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith – inventors of Crayola crayons.
So why hasn’t colored wax been used by serious artists? Even modern artists such as Jackson Pollock or Andy Warhol never used crayons. Have crayons always been frowned upon or considered inferior? Seems a bit elitist if you ask us. What do you think?
