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The English word "colour / color" comes from the Japanese word "iro" and the Latin word "colōr" (appearance/color). Although the etymology is different, both words refer to the "surface appearance" that can be perceived visually and the "complexion" that expresses human emotions, and eventually changed to refer to "types of color.''
The world of colors created by mixing and overlapping colors is limitless, but the origin of its beauty lies in the presence of "pigments" found in nature or created through technological advances.
In this article, we will focus on the color "green", which has a rich history and stories, and will introduce the culture behind it and episodes related to the color, as well as the diverse appearance of pigments.
Contents
Minerals and soil: “Natural pigments” that have been around since ancient times
Malachite colored civilization
Malachite: The blue part is azurite.
Malachite, the most famous green natural pigment, was valued as a copper ore in ancient Egypt, and it is said that copper smelting was already underway in the 4th millennium BC.
It is more abundant than azurite, which is famous as a raw material for blue pigments, and large-scale deposits have been discovered in the Ural Mountains, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe in Africa, and Chile in South America. It is often found in large chunks with high purity, and is often found with azurite, cuprite, and chrysocolla, which also contain copper, attached to it.
In this region, green is a symbol of life and plants, and Osiris, the god of fertility and rebirth, was also depicted with green skin. It is also thought that people found sacredness in the green color of the scarab's iridescent shell, which is a symbol of immortality.
These beliefs spread throughout the Mediterranean through maritime trade during the Archaic period (around the 7th century BC). On the island of Cyprus, known for its copper ore production, rings and seals with scarab figures carved into malachite were made, and these became popular as amulets to pray for good luck and ward off evil spirits.
Ring with scaraboid, 7th–6th century B.C. / The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)
While considered sacred, malachite was used in a wide range of applications due to its beautiful colors, including pigments for paintings, glazes for ceramics, coloring ingredients for glass, decorative items, and even cosmetics (eye makeup).
In Egypt, it was affectionately known as "mafek" along with turquoise, which has a similar color, which shows how much people loved this beautiful green color.
Colors brought about by particle size and traditional colors "green and blue"
Although there is no evidence of malachite being used in cave paintings during the Paleolithic period, it has been used by many painters around the world up to the present day. Although it boasts a vivid green color when it is in stone form, it has a low refractive index and weak hiding power when used in oil paint, so its true beauty can be brought out when used in tempera paintings or water-based paints.
Malachite has also played an important role in East Asian art, including Japan and China.
To obtain sufficient color from minerals as pigments, it is necessary to crush them, but as the particle size decreases, the color gradually becomes lighter.
Mineral pigments, a traditional Japanese painting material, utilize exactly this principle, producing about 10 rich tones depending on the particle size. Rokusho is a typical mineral pigment made from malachite. Furthermore, expressive green tones are created using the same stone as the starting point, such as "burned verdigris," which changes to a deeper hue by heating and firing, and "Gunroku," which is a mixture of blue indigo copper ore.
| Natural Mineral Pigments [Green] Product list |
Greenery inspired by minerals and soil
In addition to malachite, there are other minerals and soils that give green color. Many of them are characterized by grayish, deep tones and the soft, pale colors characteristic of mineral pigments.
Amazonite (left) and Bloodstone (right)
For example, Hakusuisue, which is refined from Amazonite, which has a bright blue-green color with white stripes, becomes an elegant mint green with a whitish tint when turned into a pigment.
On the other hand, green agate (bloodstone) is a deep green mineral with blood-like red spots caused by iron oxide (hematite) scattered throughout. The ground color, which is caused by minute inclusions such as chlorite and amphibole, becomes a deep, calm dark green when pigmented.
In addition, glauconite, which is the raw material for graystone powder, is a mineral that is gradually formed through the reactions of organic matter, iron, magnesium, and potassium in shallow seafloor sediments, and is the main component of green soil.
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About the particle size of mineral pigments
Color and science of earthen paints
Poison and beauty: synthetic pigment “Emerald green”
Emerald green is a gorgeous green color with a slight bluish tinge, named after the precious gemstone emerald (Japanese name: Suigyoku). Although it is no longer manufactured as it is an extremely toxic synthetic pigment, its mysterious colors that seemed to emit light from within once fascinated many artists.
The highly poisonous heritage “Scheele Green” and “Paris Green”
The origins of synthetic copper arsenic pigments date back to Sweden in the 18th century. In 1778, a chemist developed a synthetic pigment called Scheele Green. Later, in 1814, an attempt to improve quality led to the birth of emerald green, which has a brighter blue-green color.
The green, made by heating a mixture of copper patina, vinegar, and white arsenic, and kneading the resulting precipitate with linseed oil, quickly gained popularity for its beauty. After the manufacturing method was published in 1822, it quickly became popular and came to be called by a wide variety of names depending on the region of production and use, such as "Paris Green" and "Schweinfurt Green."
Despite the major disadvantages of easily discoloring and being highly toxic, the color can be produced inexpensively and is widely mass-produced not only for art materials (oil paints, watercolors, pastels, etc.), but also for paints, clothing, wallpaper, and even insecticides. Due to its vivid appeal, it continued to be used as a painting pigment in Europe and America until the 1960s.
Beautiful greenery left on canvas
The vivid emerald green—unattainable through natural pigments—captivated numerous masters, including Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne.
Notable examples include Paul Gauguin’s Old Women at Arles and Vincent van Gogh’s La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle), in which the intense green of the background and dress leaves a striking impression.
Vincent van Gogh, La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle), 1889 / The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)
This wave also reached Japan around the time of the Meiji Restoration, where the imported pigment came to be known as Hana-rokushō. Its overwhelming vividness, unprecedented among traditional pigments, was widely used in nishiki-e (multicolored woodblock prints) and other art forms as a color symbolizing the dawn of a new era.
*Note: The "Suihi Hana Rokusho" sold at PIGMENT TOKYO is manufactured using carefully selected, safe modern pigments rather than copper acetoarsenite, which is a hazardous substance.
Tradition and innovation: modern “Green”
Synthetic pigments, which were once considered poisonous, have evolved into pigments that are both highly safe and durable through modern chemical technology.
"Artificial mineral pigments" created from natural substitutes
Since natural mineral pigments are expensive and rare, "artificial mineral pigments" have been developed as an alternative that can provide a stable supply.
Glassy glaze and pigments are mixed together, melted and cooled at high temperatures to create an artificially colored rock-like mass, which is then crushed and sieved into coarse particles. These artificial mineral pigments are classified into "Shin-iwa (Artificial）Mineral Pigments," which contain lead, and "Lead-free Mineral Pigments (Kyojyo Iwa Enogu)" which are lead-free, depending on the ingredients contained in the glaze.
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| Shin-iwa (Artificial）Mineral Pigments [Green] |
| Lead-free Mineral Pigments (Kyojyo Iwa Enogu) [Green] |
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Safe modern synthetic pigments “Pigments”
Pigments (fine particle pigments) that are safely manufactured and managed using modern technology have excellent light resistance and stability.
Expressions are supported by clear coloring, such as Viridian, which has a bluish and refreshing feel that is mainly composed of hydrated chromium oxide, and cobalt, which has a wide variety of colors and brightness.
| Pigments (Fine Particles) [Green] Product list |
Science of structural color and light "Effect pigments"
Effect pigments made using the latest technology are mainly produced by coating base materials such as mica, glass, and metal. It has high brightness and a unique visual effect (structural color) in which the color changes due to light reflection and interference.
Although they are often used for industrial purposes, all of the products sold at PIGMENT TOKYO are carefully selected for use as art supplies.
| Pearl & Other Effect Pigments [Green] Product list |
[Related article]
By mixing pigments with adhesives, you can create your own paints suitable for watercolors, oil paintings, acrylics, Japanese paintings, etc.
If you find a color that interests you among the more than 600 colors of green pigments available at PIGMENT TOKYO, please enjoy the time to create original recipes, reproduce the phantom color, and incorporate that charm into your works as paint.
This special feature article explains in detail about making paints.
Even if you trace just one color, it is engraved with humanity's quest for beauty and the evolution of science. By learning the story behind the colors that lie inside a bottle, familiar colors may start to shine in a different way.
Please look for "your green" at PIGMENT TOKYO while thinking about the history of greenery loved and created by our ancestors.
Reference materials/images used
■ Images used
・Vincent van Gogh, La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a Cradle), 1889 The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Open Access (Public Domain/CC0)
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437984
・Ring with scaraboid, 7th–6th century B.C. / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Open Access (Public Domain/CC0)
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/243571
■ Reference materials
【Malachite and Green Verditer】
・Rutherford J. Gettens and Elisabeth West FitzHugh, "Malachite and Green Verditer", Ashok Roy (ed.), Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Volume 2, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1993.
・David A. Scott, Copper and Bronze in Art: Corrosion, Colorants, Conservation, "3. BASIC COPPER CARBONATES", The Getty Conservation Institute, Los Angeles, 2002.
https://media.getty.edu/Text/a33da677-13c2-5f35-8954-7c4e1eef454b.pdf
・Department of Greek and Roman Art, "Geometric and Archaic Cyprus", Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
https://www.metmuseum.org/ja/essays/geometric-and-archaic-cyprus
・Isabel Stünkel (Department of Egyptian Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art), Ancient Egyptian Amulets, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, 2019
https://www.metmuseum.org/ja/essays/egyptian-amulets
【Emerald Green and Scheele's Green】
・Inge Fiedler and Michael Bayard, "8 Emerald Green and Scheele's Green", Elisabeth West FitzHugh (ed.), Artists' Pigments: A Handbook of Their History and Characteristics, Volume 3, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1997.
・Ashok Roy, "The Palettes of Three Impressionist Paintings", National Gallery Technical Bulletin, Vol. 9, The National Gallery, London, 1985, pp. 12–20.
https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/media/15818/roy1985.pdf
Editor & Writer
Natsuko Shiraishi
Graduated from the Textile Design at Tama Art University. She is an artist who mainly works with original Washi paper and calligraphy.
Favorite matière: Paper, dynamic moves of wood fiber
Graduated from the Textile Design at Tama Art University. She is an artist who mainly works with original Washi paper and calligraphy.
Favorite matière: Paper, dynamic moves of wood fiber