Pigments and Praxis in the Early Modern Period

Early modern and contemporary sources alike have compared artists' workshop practices with those of alchemists, as they ground and mixed their pigments with binding media, experimenting with additives and proportions to develop paints with particular viscosities and opacities. Technical studies have further proven the specialized attention that early modern artists paid to their pigments. Hendrick Avercamp used smalt between layers of lead white, diffracting and absorbing light to achieve icy, atmospheric skies in his winter scenes; Frans Hals experimented with indigo in the sashes of his 1627 Haarlem Civic Guard portraits despite contemporary concerns about its discoloration; and Rembrandt developed a signature lead-white paint, adjusting its rheological properties for use in his impasto. This panel seeks to bring together the technical and the art historical to consider pigments not just as agents for color, but for artistic experimentation and cultural significance. We especially welcome joint papers by early modern art historians and conservators or scientists. Questions addressed may include:

-What can be revealed by tracing the trade routes along which pigments travelled?

-How did environmental or geological factors affect the raw materials of natural pigments? How were they harvested, processed, and made into paint?

-Who played a role in this process? What were the socio-economic or power dynamics at play?

-How did the use of pigments conform to or converge from art theory? How did artists experiment to achieve desired color, light, or textural effects?

-What can pigments tell us about the perceived value or purpose of a painting?