A two-dimensional art form which is made up of layers of pigments applied onto a surface. The surface on which the pigment is applied can be wide-ranging - paper, wood, cloth, canvas, metal or stone.

The first paintings were discovered in South West France in the Lascaux caves from the Upper Paleolithic Age, around 40,000 to 10,000 years ago, which shows that painting is one of the oldest art forms that exists.

As the surface of paintings differ, so do the materials used to create the pigments. During the Paleolithic Age coloured earths were used, followed by plant extracts and more recently synthetic colours.

There are many types of paintings, but among the well-known are oil, acrylic, pastel, spray painting and watercolour.