Name: Mikaela Konrad & Celina Enriquez

Date: 11/5/14
Chemistry of Art: Pigment Research
Please follow the instructions in the Chemistry of Art: Pigment Research document and type
your responses into the sections below.
Objective (Mikaela)
Answer the question: How does art depend on chemistry?
The colors seen in objects shows the highest and lowest energy and frequency of the
electrons
Time Periods
Prehistory (Mikaela)
What elements and natural materials were pigments created from during this time period?
The elements that were used to create pigments were dirt, blood, charcoal, spit,
and animal fat, clay, vegetable juices, urine, and bone marrow.
Were the elements and pigments toxic or safe to use?
These pigments were safe to use.
Please include any chemical formulas or reactions.
Charcoal - C7H4O, Blood - C738H1166N812O203S2Fe
Antiquity (Mikaela)
What elements and natural materials were pigments created from during this time period?
Egyptian and Roman artists used gums, animal glue, wax, and eggs to create
pigments.
Egyptians
Colors used were red, green, blue, yellow, white, and black
The pigments were iron oxide. They included red ochre, umber, and
yellow ochre.
Greeks
The pigment used was lead white.
Romans
Romans used a combination of what the Egyptians and Greeks used. Some
women would paint with the pigments to make lip stick.
Were the elements and pigments toxic or safe to use?
Iron oxide and lead white are toxic.
Please include any chemical formulas or reactions
Iron oxide - Fe2O3, Lead white - (PbCO3)2Pb(OH)2
Medieval Age (Mikaela)
What elements and natural materials were pigments created from during this time period?
Pigments used where similar to the ones the Egyptians and Greeks used. They
used red ochre, umber, lime white, and yellow ochre.
Were the elements and pigments toxic or safe to use?
These pigments are not toxic and safe to use.
Please include any chemical formulas or reactions
Red ochre - Fe2O3, Umber - Fe2O3 ( H2O) + MnO2(n H2O)+ Al2O3, yellow
ochre - FeO(OH))
Renaissance & Baroque (Mikaela)

 What elements and natural materials were pigments created from during this time period?
Oil media was replacing old ways to make paint. The pigments that were used
were smalt, naples yellow, carmine lake, vermilion, madder lake, indigo,
ultramarine, azurite, green earth, verdigris, malachite, orpiment, lead white, lime
white, carbon black, and bone black.
Were the elements and pigments toxic or safe to use?
Most of these werent safe to use.
Please include any chemical formulas or reactions
Smalt - SiO2(65%) + K20 (15%) + Al2O3 (5%) + CoO (10%), Naples Yellow Pb(SbO3)2 or Pb(SbO4)2, Carmine lake - C22H20O13
Modern Age (Mikaela)
What elements and natural materials were pigments created from during this time period?
Watercolor was popular during this time period.
Were the elements and pigments toxic or safe to use?
Watercolor is labeled non-toxic but can be dangerous if consumed.
Industrialization (Celina)
John Constable had chose to conduct his own paints from the pigments which
were made in powder form. Prussian blue at the time was a common color and
Constable was used for the skies. This had then been mixed with lead white and
carbon black in order to product the shaded colors being blues and grays.
Constable was also used as a red lake and vermilion was used to add a warmth to
the variations of colors. Lastly, Ultramarine had been used as the final touches to a
finished sky although its highly expensive. in the year of (1877) known as the
impressionists Palette. The five color pigments he incorporated in his pallete were
cobalt blue, cerulean blue, French ultramarine, emerald green, and viridian. Lastly,
in the years (1841-1919) known as Muse d'Orsay Palette in Pierre-Auguste
Reniors paint box and palette he had mainly used nine color pigments which were
lead white, Naples yellow, chrome yellow, cobalt blue, French ultramarine,
Alizarin Crimson, viridian, emerald green, and vermilion.
*Contemporary Age (Celina)
Titanium white was a superb artist-quality pigment. Although the pigment had been
discovered in the year of 1821. In Picasso paintings from the years (1881-1973) he had
used seven different variations of color pigments. The Seven color pigments were lead
white, vermilion, cobalt blue, ochre, bone black, emerald green and cadmium yellow.
During the years of (1881-1973) was known as the Cubism Palette. Then, in the years of
(1928-1987) which was known as the Acrylic Age, Warhols palette had included six
color pigments. The six color pigments were titanium white, cadmium yellow/orange,
cobalt blue, viridian, Mars red, and carbon black.palette The two pigments red and pink
have been discovered as synthetic quinacridone reds.
*Pigments (Celina)
Pigment #1: Yellow
Modern chemistry had led to the creation of many variations of other yellows, including
the following chrome yellow, cadmium yellow, lemon yellow, and cobalt yellow.

Pigment #2: Red

Red is the light of the longest wavelengths. Longer wavelengths constitute infrared light
in which cant be seen by the naked eye.

Pigment #3: Blue

Blue is the color that is in the visible spectrum of wavelengths in the ranges of 440490
nm.

*Look Closer: Scientific Techniques (Celina)

Technique #1: Pastel
Pastels are an excellent tool for being able to capture the texture such as using pastels for
soft fur of a cat.
Technique #2: Acrylic
Acrylic paint is not only used as paint it can also be watered down in which will become
a thin and watery similiar to watercolors.

Technique #3: Watercolor

Watercolors are an excellent tool when creating paintings that consist of flowers and or
animals.

Conclusion (Celina)
In a minimum half page of writing, using the information you just researched, respond to the
question: How does art depend on chemistry?
The mixing of color pigments. The salvance including color pigments mixed together
thins out paint in which happens to make different textures by thinning your paint. By adding
oils together the combination of colors makes other different variations of colors. Clay you have
to mix clay in order to sculp so you have to have a recipe in order to mix. There are several
different variation types of paints that artists incorporate into their art, each paint has its own
unique ingredients that happen to differienciate from the ingredients found in the other types of
media.