The most famous artist to use violet would have probably been, Monet, so check out his Lily, Haystack, Snow and Rouen Cathedral Series of paintings. But a few more artists include Marc Chagall, Andre Derain, Rothko and Matisse to name a few. However, I thought you might like the following 3 images from O’Keefe, Cassatt and Van Gogh.
5 FACTS ABOUT THE COLOUR PURPLE OR IS IT VIOLET?
A hundred thousand welcomes or an Irish ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ to our 20th blog issue on all things Oil Painting.
If you have been following us, you will know that we are currently making our way through the Secondary Colours. In our last issue, we looked at the colour Green. In this week’s issue, we are taking a very high-level look at the colour PURPLE…..Or is the correct term VIOLET?
Now, if you have been following my progress to date, on this website or any of the social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn, you will notice that I used to paint a lot of originals and studies after Monet with the colour Violet. *
- FACT 1 – IS IT PURPLE OR VIOLET?
- FACT 2 – SHADES OF VIOLET – THE IMPRESSIONIST’S CHOICE
- FACT 3 – VIOLETS TO CHOOSE FROM
- FACT 4 – HOW TO MIX YOUR VIOLETS
- FACT 5 – FAMOUS ARTISTS WHO USED VIOLET
FACT 1 – IS IT PURPLE OR VIOLET?
So, what’s the difference between purple and violet.
Well, first off, violet is a true colour, that forms part of the electromagnetic spectrum first identified by Sir Isaac Newton in the 1660’s and forms part of the 7 colours of the rainbow.
As a rule of thumb, violet is bluer than purple which is more reddish in tone. Other shades/terms for violet include Lilac and Tyrian Purple, Orcil, Magenta, Mauve or Heliotrope. (St. Clair, 2016)
Violet/purple has been around since prehistoric times with traces of it having been found in the caves of Altamira and Lascaux (Ball, 2001).
According to Kassia St Clair in her wonderful book – ‘The Secret Lives of Colour (2016)’, Tyrian purple was ‘a symbol of the wealthy and elite, helped establish the link with the divine’ and was the toga colour choice of Julius Caesar when he came home to Rome after Cleopatra birth him a son. It was made from ‘two varieties of shellfish native to the Mediterranean’ where ‘the liquid harvest from the shellfish glands was placed into a vat of stale urine (for the ammonia) and allowed to ferment for 10 days before the cloth was added. As ‘each specimen contained a single drop it took around 250,000 to make an ounce of dye.’
FACT 2 – SHADES OF VIOLET – THE IMPRESSIONIST’S CHOICE
NOTE: Again, these facts have been extracted from Kassia St Clair’s book – The Secret Lives of Colour.
In 1874, Degas, Monet, Cezanne, Pissarro founded the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, Printmakers &c., and organised their first show, as a protest or snub to the Académie des Beaux-Arts, which had just rejected their work for the prestigious annual Salon Exhibition. At the time, the establishment was equally scathing about the Impressionists and the journalist and art critic for Le Charivari newspaper ‘Louis Leroy accused Monet’s Impression, Sunrise of not being a finished painting at all but a mere preparatory sketch’. (St Clair, 2016)
IMPRESSION SUNRISE
(1872)
Claude Monet (1840–1926)
Musée Marmottan Monet
‘Many concluded that the artists were, to a man, completely mad, or at the very least suffering from a hitherto unknown disease, which they dubbed ‘violettomania’. It would be as difficult to persuade Pissarro that the trees were not violet, joked one, as to persuade the inmate of a lunatic asylum that he wasn’t the Pope in the Vatican. Another wondered if the artists’ fascination with the colour was a result of the Impressionists spending too much time en plain air’ ….. Alfred de Lostalot, ‘hypothesised that’ Monet’ ‘might be among the rare number of people who could see into the ultraviolet part of the spectrum’ ….. ‘He and his friends see purple….[T]he crowd sees otherwise; hence the disagreement.’ (St Clair, 2016 & O. Reutersvärd, Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol 9 No.2 (Dec, 1950))
The impressionists were of the view ‘that shadows were never really black or grey, but coloured’. (St Clair, 2016) They also believed ‘that since the complementary colour to the yellow of the sunlight was violet, it made sense that this would be the colour of the shade’. (St Clair, 2016)
Discover why shades of purple reign supreme
It feels good to be back with a brand spanking new series and episode of the Let’s Colour Podcast!
This time, we’re bringing you three special episodes as we lead up to the launch of the Changing Rooms reboot, in partnership with Dulux.
We’re also for the first-time video recording each episode, so you can put faces to our names (that’s Marianne and Steph, in case you forgot!) and see our reactions as we chat about all things colour and home decorating – including Steph’s new country cottage!
Watch the first clip, here.
Otherwise, read on for a roundup of what we cover in the episode. Starting with our love of purple paint colours, before Dr Dulux solves our listener’s decorating dilemmas.
This episode is streaming now on your favourite podcast platform. Listen, subscribe and let us know what you think by leaving a review.
Colour Lookbook: putting the spotlight on purple paint
Purple is a colour we’ve yet to talk about on the podcast. It’s somewhat of a polarizing shade, you either love it or hate it.
But one thing’s for sure, purple has an incredible history. Shades of purple have long been associated with royalty and great wealth, and they continue to be today. Shades of purple have even been known to have healing properties.
Fun fact: Steph’s teenage bedroom was a combination of hot pink and lilac, Sugared Lilac to be precise.
What purple paint should you pick?
Dark shades of purple
Berry tones are incredible statement colours. Decadent Damson is a purple paint with a lot of depth and drama. Or there’s Acai Berry, a smoky purple paint that creates a captivating, creative space.
Both of these purple paint colours are available in the Dulux Simply Refresh Feature Wall collection. If you’re yet to discover Simply Refresh, this is Dulux’ new range of premium one-coat paint that makes it easier and quicker than ever to transform your space with colour!
Light shades of purple
Or there are softer, more easy-going purple paint colours, such as Prom Queen. A sugary sweet lilac that’s perfect for a playful colour scheme. Chic Lilac is also a favourite of ours with it’s slightly greyed-off character, making it a great tone for layering with darker shades of purple.
Shades of violet paint
The key to using violet paint is choosing a toned-down shade and layering it with different colours. Blue-violet shades are not only gorgeous colours, they’re quite clever in the sense that they look different in different lights. For example, we love Blue Incense and Lavendar Quartz, which sit in the middle of blue and violet. We think it could be the ‘new pink’ to give your front door some much needed kerb appeal.
What colours go with purple paint?
Purple sits opposite yellow and green on the colour wheel, which means they work really well together. These contrasting or complementary colours enhance one another, making the other colour feel more vivid, so you can create a striking colour scheme.
Marianne suggests pairing purple paint colours with mustard yellows or greens such as Overtly Olive, a beautiful nature-inspired green.
Dr Dulux: decorating a themed kids bedroom
Dr Dulux aka Marianne solves not one, not two, but three decorating dilemmas in this series opener. Here’s a quick glance at her top tips…
Sophie from Reading asks Dr Dulux: “I want to decorate a beautiful new bedroom for my daughter… she is intent on having a frozen theme. How can I have a fun, but tasteful bedroom for her that pleases me, too?”
For a Frozen bedroom theme, Dr Dulux suggests painting your walls in a soft blue, like Mineral Mist or a grey with a hint of blue, like Frosted Steel. Then using a stencil to paint snowflakes around the bedroom to create a winter wonderland.
Decorating your child’s bedroom can be tricky, especially if they’re asking for a theme. Trends and interests change quickly, so it can be hard to keep up. However, using simple design ideas like this will make it easier for you switch later down the line.
