The Latin word linteum came into our language as a canvas . We have to establish that this Latin word, in turn, derives from another: “linum”, which can be translated as “linen”.
The concept has several uses linked mainly to textiles .
Canvas is the fabric produced with cotton , hemp or linen . For example: “My aunt gave me a canvas shirt for my birthday,” “In the kitchen, the canvas curtains showed several stains,” “The murderer hid the weapon in a canvas bag that he carried in his hand.”
The most common use of the notion of canvas is linked to the fabric that is specially prepared for an artist to paint on . By extension, the work that is captured in this material is called a canvas.
The canvas, therefore, is a pictorial support that has been used for more than half a millennium. There are historical records of paintings on canvas dating back to the beginning of the 15th century , although their popularity spread from the Renaissance onwards.
It is possible to fix the canvas to a support with an adhesive or do it on a stretcher using strings. The fabric must always be taut so that it is possible to paint on its surface. Generally, the canvas is subjected to a priming process so that it remains smooth and white.
It is important to know that there are basically three types of canvases:
-Linen ones, which are ideal for painting with acrylic paints and even oil paints. They also stand out because they are very resistant and because the paint sets very well on their surface. Likewise, it should be noted that they have in their favor that they are truly versatile.
-Those made of synthetic fabrics, which have the benefits that they can be purchased at a cheaper price than linen fabrics and which, in addition, also offer good resistance.
-The cotton ones. These other canvases are interesting because they manage to absorb paint very well. Of course, they rot quite easily, so paintings made over time may present noticeable cracks.
If many artists throughout history have chosen to paint on canvas it is because it is considered that this material brings with it a series of advantages. Specifically, among the most significant are that the canvases are light and allow great results to be achieved. Of course, against them they have the fact that they are less resistant than wood, which is also another material on which it is painted.
In the field of architecture , a canvas is the wall or façade of a construction that develops between two angles. In the military field, finally, the canvas is the sector of the wall that extends straight from cube to cube or from bastion to bastion.
Among the words that can function as synonyms for canvas we find cloth, fabric, fabric, handkerchief, sheet, facade, wall, panel, painting or even painting.