Painters Online Logo

Login/register

Studio

History of blue

Welcome to the forum.

Here you can discuss all things art with like-minded artists, join regular painting challenges, ask questions, buy and sell art materials and much more.

Make sure you sign in or register to join the discussions.

Hang on Studio Wall
Author
Message

Mats Winther

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 87
Posted
Curiously, the hall is packed and all it's about is diverse blue pigments throughout history.
This BBC program is also about blue. Very interesting.
I suppose the reason behind our fascination with simple chemicals is that we are unconsciously like the alchemists. The alchemists believed that the divine spirit (spiritus mercurius) was indwelling in the material itself. In fact, Prussian blue was discovered in an alchemical laboratory. /Mats

Edited
by 9230114

With Sarah, Phil, Ellen, Rose the dentist, and the granddaughter whose name I forget.

Robert Jones, Napa

  • Prestige User
  • Reputation: 24825
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 8654
Posted
Tried to listen to the first presentation. Got quickly very, very bored. This has put me off the second - I think perhaps one can expatiate rather too much on the subject of one hue. Or it could just be that I'm getting old and impatient, of course. But I'm only interested in colour in relation to what one can do with it - perhaps those with a wider perception and considerably more patience than I possess could encapsulate the ideas expressed in the films and present them in a few well chosen (I emphasize "well chosen") words.

Mats Winther

  • Forum Member +
  • Last active:
  • Posts: 87
Posted
Indeed, the Celts also saw blue as a divine colour. The Catholic Church monopolized blue colour and prohibited any other use than divine themes (cf. BBC video. To get a bigger picture, click the YouTube icon.) Well, I can't help myself because I'm an intellectual. I own so much books about everything so I have no room for them anymore but have to place them in the cellar. /Mats

Edited
by 9230114