#making colour

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First round of rust dye tests. Cotton from a heavy old work shirt, found washers, nails, half-submerged in a bath of vinegar and salt-water for 3 days. The same washer acted as a "stamp" on one side and a resist on the other! Meanwhile, much of the rust pigment released into the bath and made for a gentle soaking dye of milder colour throughout. This has been fruitful.

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Miniature attempt at integrating some of my prior Shibori/arashi indigo training into the rust dye.

[artsaywhat]

Journey through the history of colour in a unique exhibition exploring the materials used to create colour in paintings and other works of art.

I forgot to mention that I actually did get to see this show! I even bought the (pseudo) catalogue, it was that good. More to come about the actual show a little later, just wanted to give a wee mention now so that I wouldn't forget. 

[ohmyhe-art]

Making Colour @ National Gallery.

“Come with us now on a journey through time and space, to the world of the Mighty Boo...”

Okay, I’m joking, let’s not rip off Boosh. But this exhibition does take you on a journey. Through time? Yes! Space? Not quite. Colour? Oh my God, YES! What a terribly named show it would be otherwise.

I can promise that you probably will have never seen a show quite like this one (and if you have then ignore me). The curatorial decisions alone are outstanding; the low lighting and black walls making the already vibrant colours burst to life, and then the mix of old and new, painting and ceramic, science and art. Yeah, you heard: science AND art! I hear the excited squeals of nerds all around (myself included). This exhibition calls out to pretty much everyone, and whether you actually have an interest in art or whether you've been dragged along by someone who does, I can guarantee everyone will come away with something new from this show.

From the get-go we are thrown into a world of colour, with an introduction to the colour wheel, primary and complimentary colours, plus brief introductions into different theories illustrated by great masters like Renoir and Van Gogh. It was the impressionists who really started to exploit colour and put the different theories to the test, mostly Chevreul’s complimentary colours. Especially as these artists had the luxury of tube paints, meaning a whole range of colours were available to them, unlike their earlier contemporaries who only had the materials available to produce counterpoising primary colours in their images.

The concept of the colour wheel is important to our understanding for this show. Isaac Newton was the first to grasp the understanding of colour and light. How white light refracts into prismatic colours (or the colours of the rainbow) and could be recombined to make white light. When these colours are put into a wheel, the opposing shades become complimentary colours, making each other look brighter, better and generally more beauteous.

Boating on the Siene, Pierre-Auguste Renoir. 1879-80. Oil on canvas.

Other theories developed from then on, including Schiffermuller’s wheel; the wish to connect colour and musical harmony, and also Geothe’s theory. You may remember we touched upon his this before with our pal Mondrian, the use of colour to reach universal truths and harmony – a joint visual and emotional experience.

And now we are launched forth into an actual colour wheel! Each room dedicated a specific colour, starting with the Quest for Blue to Deathly Orange and Red, eventually closing with the extravagant Gold and Silver (technically they are not colours but are still very important in Western art to express and illustrate luxe and riches, usually of the patrons commissioning such pieces). The science-y stuff explains the processes, problems and precautions of actually making the colours (hence the name of the show), and then there are the reconstructions; like the process of panel gilding which concludes the show, something which you can see in many olden-time paintings...Botticelli was a bit of a pro at using gilded gold.

St Francis of Assisi with Angels, Sandro Botticelli. About 1475 - 50. Tempera and oil on wood.

I know my blogs usually call on the narrative to the shows I’m writing about and focus on select works but I’m taking a risk with this one and avoiding that, purely because if I did so I would completely ruin the fun and surprises held within this fab-u-LOUS exhibition. However, I will leave you with these little, juicy nuggets to think about, just for funsies. (I will put the answers in the ‘read more’ for those who wish to know the answers, then the surprise isn't ruined):

Which is more expensive to use; gold, silver or blue?

Adoration of the King, Carlo Dolci. 1649. Oil on canvas. Is the gold in this painting real or yellow paint?

Why do people in Renaissance paintings always look like they've had a dodgy lunch?

What do you get if you mix eggs and art? (I promise this is a thing and not the beginnings of a dad joke...or dad yoke! I'm hilarious.)

I can’t begin to express how marvellous this show is. There is so much to learn, so much to ponder and so much to fall in love with. Plus it is the most visually stunning show I have seen to date, a massive well-done to all those involved, for sure! *Lots of clapping*.

Making Colour is on at The National Gallery in London, but is literally in its LAST FEW DAYS! So you need to go soon if you want to catch it before it closes on Sunday 7th September. For more information and for booking advice please visit the website.

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Heeelloooo to those of you sneaking a peak to those answers. Here they are:

This might have seemed like a trick question, but the answer is blue. Before tube paint was available, paint was made from many different sources. The best quality blue was called Ultramarine and was made from the semi-precious stone Lapis Lazuli found in Afghanistan. The material itself, its journey and the tedious process of making it into paint made it more expensive than both gold and silver.

Virgin in Prayer, Sassoferrato. 1640-50. Oil on canvas. This painting is the most incredible painting I have ever seen. It uses Ultramarine for the blue in the Virgin’s robes – important in early sacred paintings to show devotion. But seriously, the reproductions online and in print can’t justify the intensity and beauty of this painting. If you don’t see this show for any other reason, go FOR THIS!

This painting uses both gold and yellow paint. The gifts are paint and the haloes use gold: a mix of leaf and egg, otherwise known as ‘shell gold’ because the mix was usually kept in mussel shells.

You may have noticed that a lot of the people in Renaissance paintings have a green tinge to them. This is because the artists would use a green paint underneath the pink to get the correct shade for the skin. However, as time passes the top layer of paint has faded and therefore leaves the green underneath.

Eggs and art, funny combo? Other than those fancy, pricey, Faberge ones. But what makes the two meet? As you may see in many paintings' captions, the medium sometimes reads ‘egg’ or ‘oil tempera’. This is basically a mix of egg, or oil, with the material wished to be made into paint – powders, ground stone, gold leaf, even crushed up bugs. The oil would give a glossy finish to the paintings and the egg, matte.

[musingofanartist]

Making Colour

Colour have been a part of our life the theme of colour is explored in this exhibition

It begin with the Ancient times to explain how colour can change the painting and how it affect us and the painting itself,they made the colour wheel which the impressionists use the most

It show how they make these pigments for the right colour

With the use of technology it show how colours change through the times of the painting

The artist palette show the use of colours in their culture,we learn that to make white Elisabeth use blue and pink Artists use a palette in a neat order.The impressionists expand the usual colours.As renior say without the tubes of paint we don’t have impressionsists in our art history glossary

In the section of the exhibition called the quest for  blue,this colour is hard to find or make.Luckily by 18-19th century they make blue cheaper to any artists,that’s why we called it Prussian blue,French ultramarine today because of these innovation of making blue accessible.Using azurite which is cheaper at the time which produce a blue green quality and it also can be easily mixed with other colours Colour give symbolism to a person like Mary.the colour blue represent her humble origin to the heavens and as a sign of devotion For green they use it like a layer for skin and it’s harder to get than blue,they use verdigris or green earth to get their shades well,green have help to emphasis shadows and model its shape which is layered in pink,red and white We show how oil and tempera change how we view colour with egg temepera it’s time conusming while oil can manipulate many materials and can be opaque or transparent

For yellow and orange it’s widely speard,it form from pure orang in medieval painting to realgar which is use on Dutch still life,orignally fr cermaincs it’s the strongest among all the colours

For red it’s used to taken from insects which one of them cochineal is use for lipsticks and coloring for food,vermilion use a stone to create this popular colour

As for April love purple was used to show April as a humble girl in love.

For gold and sliver it’s play an important role in western art it’s also show devotion to the scared.It shows how 15th century artists manipulate these color by paint.They also show the differences between the real gold and the manipulative one.The paintings show here show how colour work in their works.They also show how they made the painting gild the panels to make an altar piece.

The exhibition layout is very clean it give you the journey from blue to purple and it’s beautiful colours.it have contemporay items to show the use of colours.We should not take colour for granted because these artist have to work hard to get their colour

[hannahsuthers]

Museum Friday Part 2

Museum Friday Part 2

On the evening of my Matisse morning I took myself off to the National Gallery to take a look at the Making Colour exhibition.

The first room gave a general overview of the primary colours and early uses of pigment in Roman paintings. It was interesting to see how the use of complimentary colours was a technique many artists used instinctively, long before it was established at scientific fact.…

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Making Colour at The National Gallery

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/making-colour

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Art in Print | 17 June 2014

Our daily digest of art stories in the mainstream press 

Art Exhibition | Making Colour 

Making Colour is at the National Gallery from tomorrow until September 7. Based on research by the gallery's scientific department, the show looks at the story of artistic pigments. 

Via Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The Times 

Art Retrospective | Gary Winogrand 

Garry Winogrand, a retrospective, will be at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from 27 June to 21 September. The street photographer depicted New York City and American life from the 1950s through to the early 1980s. 

Via Jonathan Jones, The Guardian 

Art Market | New Fairs  

Art Fairs are becoming more multidisciplinary and increasingly include a vast range of works from antiquity to contemporary art for a more complete shopping experience. New fair START will coincide with Masterpiece this year. 

Via Colin Gleadell | The Daily Telegraph