Starting from Egyptian blue in ancient times, pigments preferred by painters for sky blue have changed repeatedly. Here’s a brief history.
pigments
An illustrated table of contents for the whole of this series, with listings of featured artists, pigments, etc.
Fading and colour change in paints has been well-described since 1400. Shown here in examples using indigo, it wasn’t properly investigated until the late 19th century.
Completes this tour of the painter’s palette, with well-known greens, then the essential blacks and whites. Examples from Michelangelo to Vincent van Gogh.
A trip round the painter’s palette, with outstanding examples of well-known colours in use. Starts with yellow, then to red and finally to blue.
Yellow ochre, orpiment, Naples yellow, lead-tin yellow, Indian yellow, chrome yellow, and cadmium yellow – most toxic or at least harmful to someone.
As a primary colour, blue is essential in painting. The quest for the right blues has spanned the world and resulted in a succession of synthetic pigments which have influenced art.
From linear perspective projection, synthetic pigments like Prussian Blue, and colour theory, to the first new painting medium since oils, science and painting have developed together.
With a reputation for being an impulsive and rapid painter, evidence from IR reflectography shows how this painting evolved as it was being made.
Two paintings of simple everyday domestic scenes were not as quickly made as might appear. Series of preparatory sketches show more.
The Eclectic Light Company 