"ART is a word which summarizes THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION. "
L. Ron Hubbard

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The discovery of Prussian Blue

Browsing the web, I discovered a fascinating piece on the discovery of Prussian Blue on About.com/painting. You can read the article here.
I should say that Prussian Blue (and its more modern counterpart, "Thalo" or Pthalocyanine Blue) are very strong, staining pigments, not to be used in large quantities. They will overwhelm any color with which they are mixed, and they will overwhelm any painting if used in any quantity.
That said, Prussian or Thalo Blue is a warm blue which, mixed with lemon or zinc yellow, makes a bright, jewel-like green. I include it on my recommended limited palette because of that, but it should be used sparingly and with caution.

1 comment:

Marion BE said...

Thanks for the link to my article, Pam. Glad you enjoyed the article, and links are always appreciated!

Prussian blue is my favorite blue, but as you say a little goes a long way. I like how it's so dark when straight from the tube, but lightens so beautifully with white.

Mixed with burnt umber and white, it produces gorgeous greys too.