WEEK 10 - Minerals Flashcards
What have humans used pigments for?
Since prehistoric times, humans have used minerals as pigments for coloring.
Why do minerals make good pigments?
Many minerals have distinct colors due to their chemical compositions.
How can minerals be used as artistic mediums?
If a mineral is softer than the surface it is applied to, it can leave a mark.
EXAMPLE: graphite (hardness of 1) leaves a black streak on paper.
Why are most minerals not used directly as pigments?
- Most minerals are too hard to be used as pigments.
- They need to be crushed, powdered, and mixed with other substances to create a workable pigment.
What were the first paints made from?
Likely mixtures of pigment, clays, animal fats, and filler minerals.
What pigments were used in the earliest known paintings?
The prehistoric artists in the Lascaux caves (15,000 B.C.) used charcoal, red ochre, and yellow ochre as pigments.
How did prehistoric artists use pigments besides painting on walls?
They painted their own bodies with these pigments.
What is red ochre made from?
It’s made from the mineral hematite (iron oxide).
What is yellow ochre made from?
It’s made from the mineral limonite (iron oxyhydroxide).
How does rust form?
Rust is formed by a mix of hematite and limonite.
What pigments did Ancient Egyptians use for paint?
The Ancient Egyptians used powders of:
- Gypsum (white)
- Orpiment (yellow)
- Hematite (dark red)
- Malachite (turquoise)
How did Egyptian artists create tomb paintings?
- They coated tomb walls with plaster.
- Pigments were applied to the dry plaster.
What colors did Egyptian tomb painters use most often?
- Black
- Red
- Yellow
- Brown
- Blue
- Green
How did Egyptians get a variety of colors and tones in their art?
- By mixing pigments with black or white.
- By applying pigments thinly or thickly.
- They also used a binder to help pigments stick.
What minerals did Ancient Egyptians use in cosmetics?
- They used minerals in makeup, especially for the lips and eyes.
- Red ochre was used as lip color.
What minerals were used in Egyptian eye makeup (“Kohl”)?
Kohl was made from powdered minerals like:
- Stibnite (black)
- Galena (black)
- Malachite (green)
- Azurite (dark blue)
- Turquoise (turquoise)
- Lapis Lazuli (deep blue)
What is Vermillion and where was it used?
- Vermillion is made from the mineral cinnabar.
- It was used to paint the face of Jupiter’s statue in Rome red during significant events.
- It was also used in Chinese calligraphy inks
What is cinnabar made of?
Cinnabar is HgS (mercury sulfide).
What was the source of the vivid blue color in medieval paintings of the Virgin Mary?
- The vivid blue color was made from lapis lazuli, a rock primarily consisting of the mineral lazurite.
- This blue pigment was used in medieval paintings, especially for depictions of the Virgin Mary’s cloak.
What is Lapis Lazuli made of?
Lapis lazuli contains lazurite
What green mineral was used in Russian religious icons?
- The Russians used dioptase, a vivid green mineral, in their religious icons.
- Dioptase was collected in Siberia.
What mineral did Elizabeth I use for her complexion?
Elizabeth I of England used cerussite (lead carbonate) to maintain her ghostly white complexion.
