I’m back from my busy summer – and so is Paint Nerd Blog! I’m looking forward to getting back to my research projects and weekly posts, and I already have a long list of exciting topics and some paint experiments I’m documenting to share with readers here. (Sneak peak – we’re getting ready to slaughter our steers, and I’m planning to start at the source in an investigation of ox gall.)
As usual, my summer was a little bonkers (in a good way – I’m a summer camp director). My job doesn’t leave me a lot of time for painting (or really anything beside camp) but I do get some reading in at night when I read myself to sleep. Some of my favorite reading has been about color, and more expressly, pigments.
Pigments are the building blocks of all paintings. The same colored powders are mixed with gum arabic to make watercolors and gouache, seed oils to make oil paints, petroleum-based resin to make acrylics, wax to make crayons and colored pencils, chalk and some kind of gum to make pastels, and eggs to make tempera. The binder – what “glues” the pigment to the surface – is different, but the stuff making it colored – the pigment – is the same across all mediums. These days, many pigments are petroleum-based lab creations. However, most of our palettes still have a healthy helping of pigments made from metal salts developed a hundred or more years ago as well as natural minerals (ie: dirt and rocks) which were used by Neolithic cave painters. The stories behind these colors are fascinating, and visualizing past artists looking at the same shades and using these same materials is also good food for the imagination. I love knowing the backstory of my paint, and this historic perspective gives me a new enjoyment of my materials that can also influence my work (as in the case of Prussian Blue).
Just as intriguing is learning about the pigments no longer in circulation. Vermilion (made from Mercury), Carmine (from Mexican insects), Indian Yellow (made from the urine of cows fed a diet of mango leaves – probably), Mummy Brown (made from – you guessed it!) – the list goes on. Replaced because they were rare and hard to obtain or because they were outright dangerous; the stories of their production are excellent reading and a lesson in history, world trade, and colonialism. You’ll also have a new appreciation for the unprecedented quantity and quality of pigments available to us today.
If you’re now ready to dig-in to pigment history, here are some top print and podcast picks of the many available on this subject.
For a quick and entertaining read: The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair
Broken up into short chapters for each pigment, organized in rainbow order, this book is excellent light reading – the kind of book to keep on your bedside table or maybe your bathroom (if you’re the type to read on the throne.) This isn’t to diminish the quality of the writing or research – it’s all good stuff, just presented succinctly – and it’s my favorite of the “gee, can you believe it?” genre of books on color. The book is also fun to look at, with colored tabs demarcating each pigment.
For in-depth, scholarly information: Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color by Philip Ball
This book gets into the chemistry behind the colors, exploring the full back stories as well as the impact each pigment had on the development of art and the creation of famous masterworks. A satisfyingly deep presentation of the topic that at times reads like a dry textbook, I pressed on and found it worth it.
For a listening or viewing experience: Stories in Colour from the National Gallery, London and hosted by Beks Leary
Available on YouTube as well as any podcast listening app, this podcast delivers hour-long sessions with knowledgeable guest speakers examining the history of pigments, as well as the use of color in art. The stories are well-told with tie-ins to famous works at the National Gallery. Perhaps the best part is listening to Beks’ lilting accent – a welcome antidote if you’re worn out from listening to the news.
Next time you’re to busy or tired to paint, hopefully you can also gain a deeper appreciation for your materials from reading or listening to some of these! If you have your own favorite books, videos, or podcasts on this topic, I’d love to hear about them! Please share in the chat. And it you haven’t already, subscribe to the blog to get new musings on paint in your inbox every Sunday.
