A Brief History of Color in Western Art-From the Caves of Lascaux to Van Gogh

Instructor: L.C. Armstrong
February 5, 7, 9
1-3 p.m.

Our course will focus on the invention and application of pigments and their impact on the history of painting. From the earliest earth pigments, ochres (“the stuff of stars") through ground stones, malachite, lapis lazuli; plant, and insect-derived, cochineal, indigo, and lastly to the explosion of synthetic pigments in the 17-19th c. (Did the pigment Deadly Scheele’s Green kill Napoleon?) We will share a whirlwind jaunt through this fascinating topic. Each segment will feature artworks made with specific pigments. I will present examples illustrating their use.

February 5
Paleolithic: Ochres (Caves of Lascaux)
Egyptian: Egyptian blue, the first synthetic paint
Greek: Tyrian purple, made from snails
Roman: Polychrome sculptures

February 7
Medieval and Renaissance: Sienna, umber, egg tempera, Giotto’s gold leaf to cardinal cloaks dyed with red made from beetles. Van Eyck and the triumph of oil painting. Neo-Classicism: Michelangelo, Raphael, Da Vinci. Savonarola’s “Bonfire of the Vanities” and men in black, dyes made from New World trees.

February 9
17th-19th centuries: Paint made from mummies and used by Delacroix and the pre-Raphaelites. How the invention of the portable paint tube and the discovery of synthetic mauve and Japanese prints led to Impressionism: Monet, Degas, Pissarro. We will end on a high chromatic note, with post-Impressionists Gauguin and Van Gogh.

L.C. Armstrong is an American painter and sculptor whose education includes a BFA from the Art Institute of San Francisco. Armstrong’s work has been included in significant thematic exhibitions around the world. To prepare for this class in San Miguel, Armstrong re-read in its entirety Van Gogh’s “Letters to Theo,” visited the ochre mines in Roussillon, France, and took courses in natural pigments. For more information, please see L.C. Armstrong’s website at www.lcarmstrong.com.