Evening star., 1923-07-08

TT is not generally understood that
an artist needs to know a good
deal about the paints he uses If
his work is to live, for some
paints are transient (often called
fugitive), fading with time and
finally disappearing altogether. An
example of this is what are called
the lakes" (for instance. carmine),
which are alluringly rich in color,
and would be used more frequently
If they were not so undependable.
Made from the cochineal bug-the
dried, wingless female fed upon
expressly cultivated cactus-the
| lakes" are supposed to have been
used as dyes away back in the time
of Moses. Then, again, other paints
are permanent, lasting. Minerals,
from their very nature, are usually
in this class. Terre verte is an In
stance of permanent pigments. the
best example of which is an olive
green. 1t occurs in Roman wall
painting and in the ruins of Pompeii
and was largely employed by the
early Italians. 1t neither acts upon
| nor is affected destructively by other
pigments.
DAINTS are also either transparent
or opaque. Transparent paints
can be used over other paints-the
artist making sure the first is dry
achieving the effect of transparency
similar to one colored glass placed
on top of another. Exquisite beauty
and depth have been secured in this
way Opaque paints are used as the
| underlying colors.
Not only are paints either fugitive
or permanent. transparent or OPAQUE,
but some pigments quarrel when
blended, while others, mingle quite
amicably. The cadmiums, or yellows,
are destroyed by iron. They cannot
be mixed with any paint containing
iron. The artist cannot even put his
palette knife on them without in
Jury. On the other hand, substantial
paints, like yellow ochre and brown
, ochre, umbre and burnt umbre, raw
sienna and burnt sienna, genially mix
with everything. Pots of yellow
ochre were dug out of Pompeii and
have stood the test of centuries.
Some pigments are deadly poison
and react disagreeably upon other
colors-for example, emerald green,
| a compound of paris green and
Kings yellow (often called arsenic
yellow), which must be used so care
i fully, especially by any artist who
habitually puts his brush i'm his
mouth. Certain paints {among them
Naples yellow) are so sensitive to
steel that they must be kneaded with
I a bone spatula instead of the metal
palette knife.
Many paints have curious and in
teresting sources. Sepia, that beau
tiful dark reddish brown. is made
from the ink of the cuttlefish; ultra
| marine, closely approximating the
| blue of the spectrum, from the pow
| dered lapis lazuli, a semi-precious
| gem. The word cobalt" (name for
| a. beautiful blue paint which is per-
| manent, useful and a sociable mixer
\ with all paints) is a derivative of
| "kobald," Morse for wood gnomes or
! goblins. The name is attributed to
an old tradition to the effect that
Norwegian miners disgustedly dis
carded from their mines certain
element which they believed was mis-
chievously placed there by goblins at
night.
X X X X
| 4 MONG many fascinating old books
"A on the chemistry of paints Is one
by George. Field called "Chroma-
| Biography" In this engaging volume
! the following advice is given artists
who would paint for posterity: IF a
| Are deepen any color. so will time;
| Iif it cool or karm 1t. so viii time: If