Color Chronicles: The Name is Rose Madder

Rose Madder's name comes off so strong and intense, that it's a favorite among artists. Named madder lake, a lake pigment from the plant Rubia tinctorum, rose madder is a rosy red that when used little can turn into varying shades of pink; oversaturate and it can be a neutral magenta red.

However, you might find this color disguised in other names such as Alizarin Crimson, Lacca di robbia, Laque de garance, or Turkey red.

According to renowned watercolor pigment maker Winsor & Newton, the color has long been used by earlier civilizations such as Greece, Rome, and Egypt for cloths dye around 1500 BC:

“Cloth dyed with madder root pigment was even found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. Considered one of the best quality natural pigments, it was well sought after and was brought to Europe by the crusaders. By the 13th century, it was being cultivated across Europe, notably in the Netherlands as their sandy soil provided a favourable environment for the plant.”

Olde figures and texts such as The Talmud, Ancient Greek physician Dioscorides and “Father of Medicine” Hippocrates referred to rose madder as rubio. Rose madder can be seen in the works of famous English watercolorist Joseph Mallord William Turner.

For photography, pushing a colored film such as the Lomography Color Negative 800 will bring you closer to this intense rose. You can also double on using red color filters to make it more saturated.

Flaunt your rose madder shades through Lomographs by uploading them in your LomoHome.

2018-08-22 #culture #color-chronicles #rose-madder