Blue has long proved a problem for artists. There are few blue materials in nature that can serve as pigment for painters. During the Renaissance period artists used a pigment called natural ultramarine, lauded for its rich and striking appearance.
In this Nature Video, we visit London’s National Gallery to hear the story of natural ultramarine; where it came from, how famous painters used it, and how advances in chemistry during the 19th century enabled the production of a synthetic version which revolutionized painters’ palettes.
The National Gallery exhibition, Making Colour, tells the story of blue and runs until 7 September. See here for more details: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/wha…
To read a Nature review on the exhibition, click here: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/…