Painting's literal meaning is the coating of surfaces with different colors and textures using various methods and styles to produce desired effects of light intensity, volume, space and still movements within the painting. Usually painting is combined with other forms of arts consisting of sculpture, architecture and now a day with photography. Paintings capture natural and imagined forms of the human life. Paint consists of pigments which gives it color. In paintings these pigments have a different set of primary colors.

Color in paintings is a vast entity. For a painter a simple color for example blue has many different types such as cobalt, phtalocyan, Paris blue, indigo, ultramarine, navy blue etc. Whilst all the colors used in paintings are derived from the visible spectrum of light. Every color in a painting has numerous shades and textures used in various mediums to obtain the wanted effects. Colors also have various psychological impacts and represent symbolism but colors in painting do not represent such ideas, they contribute the derived meanings of the paintings.

Painting style refers to techniques, methods, and visual elements represented by an individual in a painting. The most common styles of painting are abstract, contemporary art, cubism, expressionism, impressionism, orientalism, naïve art, realism, romanticism (in paintings lays emphasis on respect for woman, children and nature) romantic realism (deals with volition and values represented in visual art) socialist realism (such paintings promote socialism in society) and surrealism (paintings expressing dreams and vision unbounded by rationality).