Transcript History of Color

A Brief History of Color
The First Colors:
 More than 15,000 years
ago, cave people used
Earth pigments:
 yellow ochre (clay)
 red ochre (clay)
 white chalk
 carbon black (burnt animal
fat)
YUM! 
They are still used today but
in different formats
The Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks and
Romans then modified and contributed
to the use of color:
Egyptians-Cinnabar-mineral (1st bright red)
Chinese- Vermillion (TOXIC orangey-red)
Greeks- White lead (first completely
opaque white but TOXIC!-Used for awhile)
Romans- Inherited palette of all three but
contributed Tyrian Purple for Emperor’s
togas-more on that later!
Then what happened???
Not much!
Renaissance gives greater Earth pigments
by roasting—Burnt Umber & Burnt
Sienna.Terra Verte (green earth) is typical
under painting of flesh in paintings.
Early 19th Century-Industrial Revolution,
Impressionists use oils in tubes, and
modern chemical colors created.
RED:
Can signify love, danger, good luck
(China), evil, or wealth (IndiaGoddess Lakshmi)
 Cinnabar (rock mineral), vermilion
Cochineal- “Carmine”-STILL used
today in food coloring and
COSMETICS! Check
your lipsticks!
ORANGE:
Named after the Sanskrit word,
“narangah” for the fruit.
Realgar-toxic red-orange color from
volcanic minerals used from ancient
times to Renaissance and up to 19th
Century.
YELLOW:
 Derived from the earth, arsenic, plants and even
cow’s urine! Cows were force-fed mango leaves
and urine was
evaporated to produce powder.
 Symbolic: warmth, light, sickness or cowardice
GREEN:
Early green pigments contained
copper and arsenic (TOXIC!)
Symbolic: signifies life or hope;
poison, envy; traditionally worn as
fertility symbol in Western Europe at
weddings; currently as ecology
BLUE:
Ancient: Woad (“Brave heart”) Like the
Indigo plant, it’s a shrub where ancient
Brits would paint their face
Ultramarine- Ground from rare stone,
Lapis Lazuli, was more expensive than
gold! In Renaissance, usually most
important person had this pigment—ex.:
Virgin Mary
Symbolic: calm, soothing, sadness or
depression
Empty space
In bottom right
Is left for
Mary.
He probably
waited
for shipment of
Lapis Lazuli.
PURPLE (or VIOLET):
Named for “Violette”-French Flower
Tyrian Purple: From Roman times, one of
the most expensive dyes. Made from the
ink of the Murex or sea snail.
12,000 mollusks produced 1/20th of an oz.!
AND IT STUNK!!!
Symbolism: Royalty or wealth