Casein Paint
Casein paint is a water-based paint that uses casein, a milk protein, as its binder. It dries quickly to a matte film and becomes increasingly water-resistant as it cures.
Painter
Bernard Perlin
Bernard Perlin was an American painter and illustrator whose figurative work included casein, tempera, gouache, and oil paintings as well as wartime and editorial art.
Bernard Perlin quick facts
Review key details about Bernard Perlin's life, career, figurative and editorial work, and the casein, tempera, gouache, and oil materials shaping his practice.
| Born | 1918 · Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Died | 2014 · Ridgefield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Paint media | Casein paint · Tempera paint · Gouache · Oil paint |
| Documented supports | Painting board · Canvas · Paper |
| Documented examples | The Lovers (1946), gouache and ink on paper-faced board · Vincent Price (1942), gouache and silverpoint on paper |
| Common subjects | Figures, landscapes, wartime scenes, social observation, and narrative realism |
| Known for | Combining fine-art painting with wartime and editorial illustration, including documented quick-drying media on rigid supports |
Sources: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Smithsonian: The Farewell, Smithsonian: The Bar, MoMA: The Lovers, National Portrait Gallery: Vincent Price, and Forum Gallery: Twentieth Century Stories.
Paint types used
See the paint types documented in Perlin's work, with links to PaintZeal references explaining each medium's properties, uses, and working characteristics.
Tempera Paint
Traditional tempera is an artist paint made by combining pigment with an emulsion binder. Egg yolk is the best-known traditional binder, but the broader tempera category can include other emulsion recipes, so a museum record that says only “tempera” does not always identify the exact binder.
Gouache
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder. Traditional formulas dry to a matte finish and can be reactivated with water.
Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying paint made with pigment and a drying oil binder. It is widely used for artwork because it blends smoothly and develops rich color.
Surface types used
See the surface types documented in Perlin's work, with links to PaintZeal references explaining how each support behaves and is prepared for painting.
Painting Board
Painting board is a rigid artist support made from hardboard, wood, or another stable panel material. It may be sold raw or prepared with a medium-specific ground layer.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support used for paintings, banners, bags, décor, and other projects. Artist canvas may be raw, sized, acrylic-primed, oil-primed, or factory-coated, and each condition changes how paint absorbs and bonds.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made primarily from cellulose fibers. Its weight, sizing, surface texture, and wet strength determine how much paint it can accept before buckling, pilling, bleeding, or warping.
Painters similar to Bernard Perlin
Explore painters similar to Bernard Perlin through figurative realism, social observation, quick-drying media, rigid supports, and mid-century American painting.
Paul Cadmus
Paul Cadmus was an American painter known for figurative paintings, social satire, and sustained use of egg tempera throughout much of his career.
George Tooker
George Tooker was an American painter known for egg tempera scenes of offices, subways, waiting rooms, and other modern spaces, often centered on isolation and social tension.
Ben Shahn
Ben Shahn was an American painter and graphic artist known for socially engaged imagery, expressive line, and paintings made with tempera.