The terminology employed to refer to the inner layers of a painting has always been confusing and, in a certain sense, contradictory. The aim was to find a procedure that guarantee proper conservation of the painting while also contributing attractive possibilities as a starting point to create shadows, backgrounds and colours. That search not only extended to the suitability of the materials in terms of their physical properties –such as flexibility, absorption, and drying– but also to an artistic transition moving towards new lighting and colour effects which would be effected by the colour chosen for the surface to be painted on. Thus commenced the search for alternative formulas to attain a surface suited to the new requirements arising from a base layer possessing very different characteristics and behaviour. This shift towards the use of canvas as a support brought with it a new preparation procedure to prime it before the painting process began, since the system used for panels (applying thick coats of gypsum or calcium carbonate aggregated with animal glue), proved to be too rigid for such a flexible, deformable material as canvas.
In Northern Europe, however, the use of panels would continue as the main medium support for easel painting, especially for important works, and it was not until the seventeenth century that the use of canvas would finally prevail 2. In the mid-sixteenth century, following the example of Italy, painting on canvas began to develop in Spain. Canvas possessed numerous advantages compared to traditional painting supports: it was more resistant to damp than fresco painting, and at the same time it permitted larger formats than wooden panels, it was less costly and less prone to deterioration (cracking, insect damage, etc.) and, as it was lighter and could be rolled up, it was easier to transport 1. The introduction of canvas as a support for painting, brought about by Venetian painters who developed and popularized its use, was a giant step forward in the history of art.
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