Type of binders
Safflower oil
Because, over time, linseed oil shows a certain degree of yellowing, linseed oil is sometimes replaced by s...
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White: life and death united in the mother of all colours
Between approximately 145 and 66 million years ago, a geological period known a...
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Vermillion: from mercury and sulphur to harmless pigments
Unaware of the harmful consequences for one’s health, vermillion was extracted ...
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Ultramarine: the blue gold
Originally Ultramarine was obtained from the semi-precious stone Lapis Lazuli, literally ‘stone’ (Latin) and ‘...
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Stil de grain: from fading yellow to lightfast pigment
Stil de grain has been used by artists since the Middle Ages. Historical sources f...
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Ochre: an ancient pigment
The word ochre is derived from the Greek ‘Ochros’, which means ‘yellowish’. The natural pigment is seen everywh...
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Magenta: a colour with a bloody past
The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century also saw the emergence of chemistry as a science which...
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Indigo: blue plant extract
The colour Indigo has a long history that stretches probably even before the Christian Era. The name comes fro...
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Indian Yellow: an unresolved mystery
It is not exactly clear when Indian yellow was first introduced into Europe. It is known, however, t...
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Gamboge: golden yellow poisonous sap
The name Gamboge is derived from the Garcinia tree, which is indigenous to South-East Asia. This the...
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Types of pigment
Organic pigmentsOrganic pigments are composed of carbon compounds. Before they were synthetically produced they were usu...
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Primary colours (yellow, red and blue) are colours that you cannot create by mixing other colours with each other. Vincent van Gogh was c...
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