Description

In it's masstone (straight from the tube) this is slightly darker than a Cobalt Violet, it is a rich, dark, very high chroma purple, it is also semi opaque. It's tint's are powerful lilac and violet hues.

First developed in Germany in the 1860's this pigment is part of a range of pigments which were borne out of innovations in modern chemistry and influenced a huge change in artist’s palettes and in some ways this new array of powerful colours created Impressionism.

The science of chemistry has turned the dull, silver grey metal element of Manganese into this a jewel like, luminous purple, real alchemy.

You can see the emergence of these new pigments in Van Gogh's work initially he used a dark, earth-based palette, which then exploded into the colourful intensity we all recognise today.

However, many of the colours he used have changed in hue due to the pigments being so newly developed - no one really knew how they would interact with each other or their lightfastness.

Manganese Violet is totally stable and lightfast.

Technical Overview

Pigment - PV16

Opacity - Semi-Opaque

Drying Time - Average

Binder - Linseed Oil