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| source=ColorHexa<ref>{{cite web |title=Umber / #635147 hex color |url=https://www.colorhexa.com/635147 |website=ColorHexa |access-date=2021-11-12}}</ref>}}
| source=ColorHexa<ref>{{cite web |title=Umber / #635147 hex color |url=https://www.colorhexa.com/635147 |website=ColorHexa |access-date=2021-11-12}}</ref>}}
[[File:Jules_Bastien-Lepage_-_Pas_Mèche_(Nothing_Doing)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumb|[[Jules Bastien-Lepage]], Pas Meche, 1882. An example of the shadows created by using umber in a painting.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Lesso |first=Rosie |date=2020-05-12 |title=The Mysterious Shadows of Umber - the thread |url=https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2020/05/12/the-mysterious-shadows-of-umber/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>|298x298px]]
[[File:Jules_Bastien-Lepage_-_Pas_Mèche_(Nothing_Doing)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumb|[[Jules Bastien-Lepage]], Pas Meche, 1882. An example of the shadows created by using umber in a painting.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Lesso |first=Rosie |date=2020-05-12 |title=The Mysterious Shadows of Umber - the thread |url=https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2020/05/12/the-mysterious-shadows-of-umber/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>|298x298px]]
'''Umber''' is a natural earth pigment consisting of [[iron oxide]] and [[manganese oxide]]; it has a brownish color that can vary between shades of yellow, red, and green.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=39}} Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first seen in [[Ajanta Caves]] in 200 BC-600 AD.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Eastaugh |first=Nicholas |last2=Walsh |first2=Valentine |last3=Chaplin |first3=Tracey |last4=Siddall |first4=Ruth |date=2007-03-30 |title=Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780080473765 |doi=10.4324/9780080473765}}</ref>{{Rp|page=378}} Umber's advantages are its highly versatile color, warm tone, and quick drying abilities.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Harley |first=R. D. (Rosamond Drusilla) |url=http://archive.org/details/artistspigmentsc0000harl |title=Artists' pigments c.1600-1835 : a study in English documentary sources |date=2001 |publisher=London : Archetype Publications |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-873132-91-3}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=148-49}} While some sources indicate that umber's name comes from its geographic origin in [[Umbria]], other scholars suggest that it derives from the Latin word ''umbra'', which means "shadow."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Clair |first=Kassia St |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0gUEDgAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PP1&dq=secret+lives+of+color&hl=en |title=The Secret Lives of Color |date=2017-10-24 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-5247-0494-0 |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=250}} The belief that its name derives from the word for shadow is fitting, as the color helps create shadows.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=250}} In addition, the color is primarily imported from [[Turkey]], specifically [[Cyprus]], and not [[Italy]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=250}} Umber is typically mined from [[Open-pit mining|open pits]] or [[Mining|underground mines]] and ground into a fine powder washed to remove impurities.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Pigments through the Ages - Overview - Umber |url=https://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/umber.html |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.webexhibits.org}}</ref> In the 20th century, the rise of synthetic dyes decreased the demand for natural pigments such as umber.{{Cn|date=April 2023}}
'''Umber''' is a natural earth pigment consisting of [[iron oxide]] and [[manganese oxide]]; it has a brownish color that can vary between shades of yellow, red, and green.<ref name=":6" />{{Rp|page=39}} Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first seen in [[Ajanta Caves]] in 200 BC-600 AD.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Eastaugh |first=Nicholas |last2=Walsh |first2=Valentine |last3=Chaplin |first3=Tracey |last4=Siddall |first4=Ruth |date=2007-03-30 |title=Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780080473765 |doi=10.4324/9780080473765}}</ref>{{Rp|page=378}} Umber's advantages are its highly versatile color, warm tone, and quick drying abilities.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Harley |first=R. D. (Rosamond Drusilla) |url=http://archive.org/details/artistspigmentsc0000harl |title=Artists' pigments c.1600-1835 : a study in English documentary sources |date=2001 |publisher=London : Archetype Publications |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-873132-91-3}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=148-49}} While some sources indicate that umber's name comes from its geographic origin in [[Umbria]], other scholars suggest that it derives from the Latin word ''umbra'', which means "shadow."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Clair |first=Kassia St |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0gUEDgAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PP1&dq=secret+lives+of+color&hl=en |title=The Secret Lives of Color |date=2017-10-24 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-5247-0494-0 |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=250}} The belief that its name derives from the word for shadow is fitting, as the color helps create shadows.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=250}} In addition, the color is primarily imported from [[Turkey]], specifically [[Cyprus]], and not [[Italy]].<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=250}} Umber is typically mined from [[Open-pit mining|open pits]] or [[Mining|underground mines]] and ground into a fine powder that is washed to remove impurities.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Pigments through the Ages - Overview - Umber |url=https://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/umber.html |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.webexhibits.org}}</ref> In the 20th century, the rise of synthetic dyes decreased the demand for natural pigments such as umber.{{Cn|date=April 2023}}


==History==
==History==

Revision as of 15:19, 17 April 2023

For other uses, see Umber (disambiguation).
Umber
 
About these coordinates     Color coordinates
Hex triplet#635147
sRGBB (r, g, b)(99, 81, 71)
HSV (h, s, v)(21°, 28%, 39%)
CIELChuv (L, C, h)(36, 15, 39°)
SourceColorHexa[1]
B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte)
Jules Bastien-Lepage, Pas Meche, 1882. An example of the shadows created by using umber in a painting.[2]

Umber is a natural earth pigment consisting of iron oxide and manganese oxide; it has a brownish color that can vary between shades of yellow, red, and green.[3]: 39  Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first seen in Ajanta Caves in 200 BC-600 AD.[4]: 378  Umber's advantages are its highly versatile color, warm tone, and quick drying abilities.[5]: 148–49  While some sources indicate that umber's name comes from its geographic origin in Umbria, other scholars suggest that it derives from the Latin word umbra, which means "shadow."[6]: 250  The belief that its name derives from the word for shadow is fitting, as the color helps create shadows.[6]: 250  In addition, the color is primarily imported from Turkey, specifically Cyprus, and not Italy.[6]: 250  Umber is typically mined from open pits or underground mines and ground into a fine powder that is washed to remove impurities.[7] In the 20th century, the rise of synthetic dyes decreased the demand for natural pigments such as umber.[citation needed]

History

Umber was first identified between 200 BC and 600 AD during the neolithic period in Ajanta Caves found in Buddhist caves in India.[4] Ocher, a family of earth pigments which includes umber, was later rediscovered in 1940 in the caves of Altamira throughout Spain and the Lascaux Cave in France.[6]: 251  Throughout the Medieval ages, dark brown pigments such as umber were rarely seen in art, with a preference for bright and vivid colors.[8]: 166  Umber was, however, used in Medieval art, where it was mixed with pigments to create different shades of brown, most often seen for skin tones.[9] Umber gained use in Europe in the late 15th century.[8]: 168  Umber became more popular during the Renaissance when its versatility, earthy appearance, availability, and inexpensiveness were recognized.[6]: 251 

Reproduction of Lascaux cave paintings, which are around 17,000 years old.[2]

Umber gained widespread popularity in Dutch landscape painting in the eighth century.[4]: 378  Artists recognized the value of umber’s high stability, inertness, and drying abilities.[5]: 148–49  It became a standard color within eighteenth-century palettes throughout Europe.[4]: 378  Umber’s popularity grew during the Baroque period with the rise of the chiaroscuro style.[citation needed] Umber allowed painters to create an intense light and dark contrast.[citation needed] Underpainting was another popular technique for painting that used umber as a base color.[10] Umber was valuable in deploying this technique, creating a range of earth like tones with various layering of color.[citation needed]  

Toward the end of the 19th century, the Impressionist Movement started to use cheaper and more readily available synthetic dyes and reject natural pigments like umber to create mixed hues of brown.[citation needed] The impressionists chose to make their own browns from mixtures of red, yellow, green, blue and other pigments, particularly the new synthetic pigments such as cobalt blue and emerald green that had just been introduced.[6] In the 20th century, natural umber pigments began to be replaced by pigments made with synthetic iron oxide and manganese oxide.[citation needed]

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."[3]: 56  In the 18th century, Spanish painter Antonio Palomino called umber "very false."[3]: 56  Jan Blockx, a Belgian painter, opined, "umber should not appear on the palette of the conscientious painter."[3]: 56 

Visual properties

Umber is a natural brown pigment extracted from clay containing iron, manganese, and hydroxides.[11] Umber has diverse hues, ranging from yellow-brown to reddish-brown and even green-brown. The color shade varies depending on the proportions of the components. When heated, umber becomes a more intense color and can look almost black. Burnt umber is produced by calcining the raw version.[citation needed] The raw form of umber is typically used for ceramics because it is less expensive.[12]

These warm and earthy tones make it a valuable and versatile pigment for oil painting and other artwork.[12] Umber's high opacity and reactivity of light allow the pigment to have strong hiding power.[13] It is insoluble in water, resistant to alkalis and weak acids, and non-reactive with cement, solvents, oils, and most resins.[12]

Pigment samples
  • Limonite, or hydrated iron oxide, is the basic ingredient of the earth pigments ochre, sienna and umber.
    Limonite, or hydrated iron oxide, is the basic ingredient of the earth pigments ochre, sienna and umber.
  • The presence of a large amount of manganese makes umber earth colors darker than ochre or sienna.
    The presence of a large amount of manganese makes umber earth colors darker than ochre or sienna.
  • The pigment known as raw umber or natural umber came originally from Umbria, in Italy.
    The pigment known as raw umber or natural umber came originally from Umbria, in Italy.
  • Another sample of natural umber pigment.
    Another sample of natural umber pigment.

Permanence

Umber is known for its stability.[5]: 149  As umber has a natural pigmentation, it can darken over time.[14] However, umber can simultaneously absorb oil from paint, making the color more brittle and susceptible to cracking.[15]

Notable occurrences

Leonardo da Vinci, Mona Lisa, Early 16th century. A Laboratory analysis has revealed the presence of umber.[16]

Umber became widely used throughout the Renaissance period for oil paintings.[17] In his painting, the Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci used umber for the brown tones throughout his subject’s hair and clothing.[16] 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.[17] 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]

Use in art
  • The Italian baroque painter Caravaggio used umber to create the darkness in his chiaroscuro ("light-dark") style of painting.
    The Italian baroque painter Caravaggio used umber to create the darkness in his chiaroscuro ("light-dark") style of painting.
  • The milkmaid, by Johannes Vermeer (1650). Vermeer used umber for the shadows on the whitewashed walls, since they were warmer than those made with black.
    The milkmaid, by Johannes Vermeer (1650). Vermeer used umber for the shadows on the whitewashed walls, since they were warmer than those made with black.
  • Self portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn (1659). Rembrandt used umbers to create his rich and complex browns, as a ground, and to speed the drying of his paintings.
    Self portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn (1659). Rembrandt used umbers to create his rich and complex browns, as a ground, and to speed the drying of his paintings.

References

  1. ^ "Umber / #635147 hex color". ColorHexa. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  2. ^ a b Lesso, Rosie (2020-05-12). "The Mysterious Shadows of Umber - the thread". Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  3. ^ a b c d Helwig, Kate (2007). "Iron Oxides". Artists' pigments : a handbook of their history and characteristics. Vol. 4. Washington: National Gallery of Art. pp. 39–109. OCLC 12804059.
  4. ^ a b c d Eastaugh, Nicholas; Walsh, Valentine; Chaplin, Tracey; Siddall, Ruth (2007-03-30). "Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments". doi:10.4324/9780080473765. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ^ a b c Harley, R. D. (Rosamond Drusilla) (2001). Artists' pigments c.1600-1835 : a study in English documentary sources. Internet Archive. London : Archetype Publications. ISBN 978-1-873132-91-3.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Clair, Kassia St (2017-10-24). The Secret Lives of Color. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-5247-0494-0.
  7. ^ "Pigments through the Ages - Overview - Umber". www.webexhibits.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  8. ^ a b Gettens, Rutherford J. (1966). Painting materials : a short encyclopaedia. George L. Stout. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 0-486-21597-0. OCLC 518445.
  9. ^ "Medieval manuscripts blog: Science". blogs.bl.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  10. ^ "Underpainting advice". John Pototschnik Fine Art. 2020-02-02. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  11. ^ Shorter Oxford English dictionary on historical principles. William R. Trumble, Angus Stevenson, Lesley Brown (5th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2002. ISBN 0-19-860575-7. OCLC 50017616.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. ^ a b c "Raw Umber".
  13. ^ "Umber - CAMEO". cameo.mfa.org. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  14. ^ "Do Oil Paintings Darken Over Time? | Sustain The Art". sustaintheart.com. 2022-06-27. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  15. ^ "Brown Pigments". Traditional Oil Painting. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ a b "The Versatility and Sustainability of Umber: Exploring the Natural Brown Earth Pigment". www.naturalpigments.com. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  18. ^ "What is actually depicted on The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci?". Arthive. 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  19. ^ Burke, Danielle (2022-10-13). "Restoring a bitumen damaged copy of The Night Watch". Fine Art Restoration Company. Retrieved 2023-04-15.

See also

  • "Raw Umber". Essential Vermeer. — Discussion of umber and its use by Vermeer and other painters.
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