Historical Foundations of Visual Technology Workbook
5 Pigments and colors
When knowledge of perspective techniques began to circulate through Europe in
the 1400's artists in various areas adapted them in different ways. The greater realism
made possible by perspective techniques introduced problems for painters accustomed
to arranging figures based purely on concerns for symmetry. Diminishing the size of
objects in the distance in orderly ways, portraying light, shading, and shadow adequately,
and still preserving a pleasing sense of content and balance posed serious challenges.
As Van Eyck's invention of oil based paints was adopted, replacing water-based egg tempera
solutions, paint drying time slowed making it possible to represent greater detail. But
overuse of detail could actually detract from realism! Oils also provided greater flexibility
in allowing paint to be applied in layers. Yet the painter's palette of colors was much
more limited than we enjoy today. Here we experiment with pigments to gain some insights
into techniques artists used to achieve desired color effects.
Web links for this Unit: