Tempera painting, the method in which colors are mixed with some binding material other than oil (primarily egg yolk), is the earliest type of painting known to man. The wall paintings of ancient Egypt and Babylon are tempera, as are many of the paintings of Giotto, Lippi, Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, and many other masters. But in spite of the time-proven excellence of this technique -- which boasts many clear advantages over oil paint -- it does not receive the degree of attention from modern painters that it deserves.
Part of the explanation for this neglect, surely, is...