A new exhibit at the Straus Center of the Harvard Art Museums, newly reopened November 2014 after a 6 year renovation, features examples of actual historic pigments. On display, patrons get to see the real shades of red, green, blue and more that were used to create painting, textiles, and other art of previous eras -- many in their original glass bottles.
Understanding how pigments may change over time (something painted red in 1850 may look yellow to our eyes today, affecting how we perceive and interpret the art), led to modern conservation efforts. The Straus Center today houses a cutting edge
conservation laboratory.
"Through glass walls visitors can see scientific conservation in process, which goes back to [another Harvard art institution] the Fogg’s founding in 1927 and pioneer conservationist and director Edward Waldo Forbes. While collecting art around the world for the new museum, Forbes got intrigued by how paintings were made, and why some deteriorated. Gradually and then obsessively he amassed a collection of painting pigments, many of which are displayed in their original glass containers on a wall of the Straus Center." Says online Art site,
Hyperallergic. Perhaps the site is aptly named, knowing many
historic pigments contained poisons, and caused reactions up-to-and-including death.
According to Wikipedia, "The earliest known pigments were natural minerals. Natural iron oxides give a range of colors and are found in many
Paleolithic and
Neolithic cave paintings. Two examples include Red Ochre... and Yellow Ochre (Fe2O3.H2O). Charcoal, or carbon black, has also been used as a black pigment since prehistoric times. Two of the first synthetic pigments were white lead and blue frit (
Egyptian Blue)."
"The
Industrial and
Scientific Revolutions brought a huge expansion in the range of synthetic pigments, pigments that are manufactured or refined from naturally occurring materials, available both for manufacturing and artistic expression. Because of the expense of
Lapis Lazuli, much effort went into finding a less costly blue pigment."
An of course, advances in pigment science affect more than just art we hang on our walls (or in galleries and museums). The pigments available to artists affect changing aesthetics of the times -- reflected in everything from decor to clothing and much more. They can also affect our way of life:
"Discoveries in color science created new industries and drove changes in
fashion and taste.
Organic chemistry delivered the final blow for the cochineal color industry. When chemists created inexpensive substitutes for carmine, an industry and a way of life went into steep decline."
