Glossary Term: Acrylic Paint
In the 1930's, Mexican outdoor mural painters needed to find a new durable paint to stand up to wind, rain, and high humidity. They began to experiment with chemical or synthetic resins as paint binding agents (binding agents, such as egg or oil, are mixed with dry pigments to make paints). By the mid-1950's, researchers in Mexico and the United States had developed a way to mix resins with water, which created a paint that was almost identical to oils, yet was more durable and dried quickly. Acrylic paint also made it possible for artists to work on any unprimed surface such as cement or concrete. Acrylic paint will not crack over time and can be mixed and cleaned up with water.

Go to this Web site to see murals by Diego Rivera.

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