![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens all used cochineal as a glaze, layering the pigment atop other reds (like red ochre) to increase their intensity. These white bugs produced a potent red dye so sought-after by artists and patrons that it quickly became the third greatest import out of the “New World” (after gold and silver), as explains Victoria Finlay in A Brilliant History of Color in Art. Centuries later, during the 16th and 17th centuries, the most popular red pigment came from a cochineal insect, a creature that could only be found on prickly-pear cacti in Mexico. The invention of new pigments accompanied the developments of art history’s greatest movements-from the Renaissance to Impressionism-as artists experimented with colors never before seen in the history of painting.įound in iron-rich soil and first employed as an artistic material (as far as we know) in prehistoric cave paintings, red ochre is one of the oldest pigments still in use. Since then, the history of color has been one of perpetual discovery, whether through exploration or scientific advancement. Artists invented the first pigments-a combination of soil, animal fat, burnt charcoal, and chalk-as early as 40,000 years ago, creating a basic palette of five colors: red, yellow, brown, black, and white. ![]()
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