User:Matthew12263/Umber
Umber is a natural earth pigment created by mixing
History
Umber was first identified between 200 BC and 600 AD during the
Umber gained widespread popularity in Dutch landscape painting in the eighth century.
Toward the end of the 19th century, the
Criticism
Beginning in the 17th century, Umber was increasingly criticized within the art community. British painter Edward Norgate, prominent with British royalty and aristocracy, called Umber "a foul and greasy color."[11]: 56 In the 18th century, Spanish painter Antonio Palomino called Umber "very false."[11]: 56 Jan Blockx, a Belgian painter, opined, "umber should not appear on the palette of the conscientious painter."[11]: 56
Visual properties
Umber is a natural brown pigment extracted from clay containing iron, manganese, and hydroxides.[12] Umber has diverse hues, ranging from yellow-brown to reddish-brown and even green-brown.[6] The color shade varies depending on the proportions of the components.[6] When heated, Umber becomes a more intense color and can look almost black.[6] Burnt Umber is produced by calcining the raw version.[6] The raw form of Umber is typically used for ceramics because it is less expensive.[13]
These warm and earthy tones make it a valuable and versatile pigment for oil painting and other artwork.[13] Umber's high opacity and reactivity of light allow the pigment to have strong hiding power.[14] It is insoluble in water, resistant to alkalis and weak acids, and non-reactive with cement, solvents, oils, and most resins.[13]
Permanence
Umber is considered one of the world's most permanent pigments due to its rarity of fading.[4]: 139 When Umber is mixed with other colors, its stability increases the pigment's permanence.[4]: 138 As Umber has a natural pigmentation, it can darken over time.[15] However, Umber can simultaneously absorb oil from paint, making the color more brittle and susceptible to cracking.[16]
Notable occurrences
Umber became widely used throughout the Renaissance period for oil paintings.[6] In his painting, the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci used Umber for the brown tones throughout his subject’s hair and clothing.[17] Da Vinci also extensively used Umber in his painting the Last Supper to create shadows and outlines of the figures.[18] Throughout the Baroque period, many renowned painters used Umber.[6] Rembrandt used Umber in his darkly atmospheric painting The Night Watch, where he used Umber to give depth and a shadowy quality to the militia in the background, setting off the sunlight drenching the three main figures.[19]
References
- ^ a b Lesso, Rosie (2020-05-12). "The Mysterious Shadows of Umber - the thread". Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ a b "Pigments through the Ages - Overview - Umber". www.webexhibits.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ )
- ^ ISSN 0039-3630.
- ^ ISSN 0361-2317.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "The Versatility and Sustainability of Umber: Exploring the Natural Brown Earth Pigment". www.naturalpigments.com. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ OCLC 518445.
- ^ "Medieval manuscripts blog: Science". blogs.bl.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "Underpainting advice". John Pototschnik Fine Art. 2020-02-02. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- )
- ^ )
- )
- ^ a b c "Raw Umber".
- ^ "Umber - CAMEO". cameo.mfa.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "Do Oil Paintings Darken Over Time? | Sustain The Art". sustaintheart.com. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "Brown Pigments". Traditional Oil Painting. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ a b Foundation, Mona Lisa (2012-09-08). "Analysis of the Materials used in the 'Earlier Mona Lisa'". The Mona Lisa Foundation. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ "What is actually depicted on The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci?". Arthive. 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
- ^ Burke, Danielle (2022-10-13). "Restoring a bitumen damaged copy of The Night Watch". Fine Art Restoration Company. Retrieved 2023-04-15.