The Self Destructing Painting

Recently, while visiting an upscale gallery to look for new art, I came across a painting that I enjoyed very much. Wanting to learn about the artist’s technique, I looked close at the brushstrokes. Suddenly I realized the painting was falling apart! Actual hunks of paint were peeling off the surface of the canvas. Looking further, I discovered that all of the peeling paint was white. This was indeed a mystery. I said to myself, “Why white?” I then remembered that one of the most common pigments used in artist paints should probably never have been used at all. It is called Zinc Oxide, and it causes oil paint to de-laminate. If the artist had used a different white paint in his painting, It might have lasted 100 years. But now, unfortunately, it will probably never be sold.