Colors of the Artist from Cave to Tube

Since prehistoric times, we humans have coveted color. 30,000 years ago, ocher, red, and black earths were used to paint on the walls of Lascaux.  Fourteenth century Europe welcomed Giotto’s use of ultramarine, made from lapis lazuli – more expensive than gold leaf – and extracted from a mine in Afghanistan.  This talk will reveal the gradual development of the painter’s palette in theory and in practice. The fascinating history of pigments, their quality and availability, will be brought to light. Moreover, we will see how these factors affected the painted image and understand what Renoir meant by, “Without tubes of paint, there would have been no Impressionism.”