What turns statues and copper roofs blue-green? ‘Copper rust’, the basis of the intense green pigment Verdigris, used by all the Masters.
history of painting
Used since Roman times, it was common in the dress of saints. Highly toxic, it was progressively replaced by cadmium red in the late 19th century.
Indian Yellow was thought to have been extracted from cow urine, but has been found in few paintings. Chrome Yellow was the mainstay of the Impressionists and the nineteenth century.
It isn’t really a pigment at all, was reportedly used by all the Masters from Titian to Delacroix, and destroys the paint layer. But it has actually been found in very few paintings.
Introduced in about 1806, it was used by Turner, Friedrich, Delacroix, Corot, the Pre-Raphaelites, the Impressionists, and many others. With examples of those works.
Materials determine what is possible in painting, and pigments are central to that. This series looks at the history and use of different pigments, with extensive examples of their use.
An illustrated timeline and overview of how the human visual environment, and perception of it, has changed from ancient times to virtual reality.
In the past, people have accepted the reality of mythical creatures, such as winged angels, unicorns, and dragons. When did we start being more objective in our belief of what we see?
If Brunelleschi had introduced Cubism instead of perspective projection, would that have altered human visual perception?
Those artists who did visit and paint the women of North Africa show very different pictures, here seen in depictions of the Ouled Naïl people.
The Eclectic Light Company 