Van Gogh’s palette and tubes of paint.
AskNature
Color in living systems comes from pigments and the interaction of light with surfaces. Color serves many purposes for living systems, such as attracting prey or mates, providing warnings, or protecting through camouflage. To create the effects needed for each purpose, living systems must control the expression or visibility of pigments and the interactions (such as reflectance and refraction) of light. To do so, they have strategies that modify color or light to increase or decrease the color’s position, intensity, opacity, and more. Male hummingbirds, for example, have brightly colored feather patches on their throats; the coloring comes from pigments, structures that refract light, or a combination of the two. When a male hummingbird hovers near a potential mate, it modifies the angle of these feathers to create a bright, colorful display. However, when it needs to mute the colors to reduce conspicuousness, such as to avoid a predator, it modifies the angle again.
Birds
Class Aves (“bird”): Eagles, hawks, sparrows, parrots
Birds are evolutionary engineering marvels. They are descended from dinosaurs, but are far from our idea of heavy, scaly reptiles. Of the specific adaptions that set them apart, most notable is flight—although some mammals can fly, birds take the prize for abundance in the skies. Many birds have hollow, lightweight skeletons and specially-designed wings to help them stay aloft. They also have feathers made of keratin that help them stay warm, attract mates, and improve navigation and aerodynamics in flight. In contrast to their dinosaur ancestors, they lack true teeth and have replaced them with specialized beaks and bills.
The plumage of turacos gains its vivid green and red coloration from unique, copper-based pigments.
“Turacos have two unique, copper-based pigment s: turacoverdin (green) and turacin (red). Turacoverdin is the more physiologically extensive pigment; its prevalence can be correlated to lushness of habitat.” (Fowler and Miller 2003:232)
Pyrrole Red Pigment
Pyrrole Red is a synthetic organic bright red pigment with hot pink tints. It is an intense primary red with vibrant, intense tinting strength. Exceptionally lightfast, this is a true high performance pigment. Learn more.
Rublev Colours Pyrrole Red is a synthetic organic bright red pigment with hot pink tints. It is an intense primary red with vibrant, intense tinting strength. Exceptionally lightfast, this is a true high performance pigment.
An issue with many organic pigments is that typically they are not as lightfast, solvent and heat fast as inorganic pigments. However, pyrrole red has excellent fastness properties and tinting strength.
Composition and Permanence
| Pyrrole Red | |
| Pigment: | Pyrrole Red |
| Pigment Classification: | Synthetic organic |
| Colour Index: | Pigment Red 254 (56110) |
| Chemical Name: | Diketopyrrolo-Pyrrole |
| Chemical Formula: | C18H10Cl2N2O2 |
| CAS No. | 184632-65-5 |
| Physical Properties | |
| Appearance: | Red powder |
| Density: | 1.5 g/cm 3 |
| Bulk Volume: | 2.2 l/kg |
| Specific Surface: | 23 m 2 /g |
| Oil Absorption: | 43 ml/100g |
| ASTM Lightfastness | |
| Acrylics: | I |
| Oils: | I |
| Watercolors: | I |
| Health & Safety | |
| Safety Information | Based on toxicological review, there are no acute or known chronic health hazards with the anticipated use of this product. Always protect yourself against potentially unknown chronic hazards of this and other chemical products by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spraying mists, sanding dusts, and concentrated vapors. Contact us for further information or consult the SDS for more information. |
For a detailed explanation of the terms in the table above, please visit Composition and Permanence.
| SKU | 456-21 |
|---|---|
| Brand | Rublev Colours |
| Vendor | Natural Pigments |
| Processing Time | Usually ships the next business day. |
| Color | Red |
| Pigment Type | Organic, Synthetic |
Based on toxicological review, there are no acute or known chronic health hazards with the anticipated use of this product. Always protect yourself against potentially unknown chronic hazards of this and other chemical products by avoiding ingestion, excessive skin contact, and inhalation of spraying mists, sanding dusts, and concentrated vapors. Contact us for further information or consult the SDS for more information.
Revealing the Colors of Van Gogh’s Art: The Fascinating World of Pigments and Color Techniques
Vincent Van Gogh, a Dutch Post-Impressionist painter, is widely known for his vivid and bold use of color in his paintings. His works have been the subject of extensive analysis and research, focusing on the pigments he used to create his art. In this article, we will explore the pigments Van Gogh used in his paintings, their properties, and how they contributed to the overall aesthetic of his art.
During his brief but intense career, Vincent Van Gogh was a prolific painter who produced over 2,000 artworks, including oil paintings, watercolors, and drawings. He had a unique way of using color to convey emotions and moods, which has made him one of the most revered artists of all time. Van Gogh was fascinated by color and spent considerable time experimenting with different pigments to create his artwork.
Van Gogh’s palette and tubes of paint.
The Pigments Van Gogh Used
Van Gogh used a variety of pigments in his paintings, including both natural and synthetic materials. Some of the most commonly used pigments in his art are:
In this colorful self-portrait, Van Gogh presented himself as a contemporary artist. The primary indicator of this was his use of modern colors, but he also used a new painting technique that had become popular among the Impressionists and Pointillists: painting in dots and dashes. In a letter to his youngest sister, Willemien van Gogh, he described the colors he used in this portrait:
Here’s an impression of mine, which is the result of a portrait that I painted in the mirror, and which Theo has: a pink-grey face with green eyes, ash-colored hair, wrinkles in the forehead and around the mouth, stiffly wooden, a very red beard, quite unkempt and sad, but the lips are full, a blue smock of coarse linen, and a palette with lemon yellow, vermilion, Veronese green, cobalt blue, in short, all the colors, except the orange beard, on the palette, the only whole colors, though.
Ultramarine Blue
Ultramarine blue is a natural pigment that Van Gogh used to create the deep, rich blues in his paintings. It is made from ground lapis lazuli and has been used by artists for centuries.
Prussian Blue
Prussian blue is a synthetic pigment that Van Gogh used to create the deep, rich blues in his paintings. He used it in many famous works, including “Starry Night” and “Café Terrace at Night.”
Yellow Ochre
Yellow ochre is a natural earth pigment that Van Gogh frequently used in his paintings. He used a warm, golden-yellow color to create vibrant, sun-drenched landscapes in his art.
Cadmium Yellow
Cadmium yellow is a bright, intense yellow pigment that Van Gogh used to create the vivid sunflowers in his art. It is a synthetic pigment that was first developed in the mid-19th century.
Chrome Yellow
Chrome yellow is a bright, lemon-yellow pigment that Van Gogh used in his paintings. It is a synthetic pigment that was first developed in the mid-19th century.
Vermilion
Vermilion is a bright red pigment that Van Gogh used to create the vibrant reds in his paintings. It is a synthetic pigment that was first developed in ancient Rome.
Facsimile of letter to Theo van Gogh, dated August 5, 1882, with a sketch of his palette.
In a letter to his brother Theo, he described the colors he had bought and had drawn a sketch of his palette:
Moreover, I now have all the essentials for proper painting.
And a supply of paint—big tubes (which work out much cheaper than small ones), but you will understand that I’ve limited myself to simple colors in both watercolor and oil: ochre (red, yellow, brown), cobalt and Prussian blue, Naples yellow, terra sienna, black and white, supplemented with some carmine, sepia, vermilion, ultramarine, gamboge in smaller tubes.
But I refrained from buying colours one ought to mix oneself.
I believe this is a practical palette with sound colours. Ultramarine, carmine or something else are added if absolutely necessary.
He lists the colors in Dutch in the letter, but the sketch lists the colors in French. This may suggest he was either buying supplies of French paint, or the Dutch colormen used the names established by the French. He lists the colors on the sketch of the palette as follows (from left to right):
- blanc d’argent (transliterated white of silver—lead white)
- jaune de naples (Naples yellow)
- ocre jaune (yellow ochre)
- ocre rouge (red ochre)
- ocre brûlée (brown ochre)
- terre de sienne (raw Sienna)
- cobalt ou bleu de prusse (cobalt blue or Prussian blue)
- noir d’ivoire (ivory black)
- vermillon (vermilion)
How Pigments Contributed to Van Gogh’s Art
The pigments that Van Gogh used in his paintings were crucial to the overall aesthetic of his art. He used color to convey emotions and moods, and his pigments were carefully chosen to achieve specific effects.
For example, Van Gogh used yellow ochre to create warm, golden tones in his landscapes, conveying tranquility and peacefulness. He used Prussian blue to create the deep, rich blues in his night scenes, which conveyed a sense of mystery and wonder. He used vermilion to create vibrant reds in his paintings, conveying passion and energy.
Van Gogh’s use of color and pigments in his art was crucial in creating his masterpieces. His careful selection of pigments helped him achieve the specific effects he desired, and his use of color to convey emotions and moods has made him one of the most revered artists ever.
