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.
van der Werff
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.
For once the name is accurate: it originated in the Prussian Empire around 1704, and by 1730 had established itself as a standard if not entirely reliable pigment. Watteau, Canaletto, Hogarth, Blake, Monet, and van Gogh all used it.
The Eclectic Light Company 