IDENTITY
Letter 450 — Colour Theory
Nuenen, 1885
Content Summary
Between 20 and 22 January 1885 at Nuenen, Van Gogh describes chromatic dark mixtures such as Prussian blue with burnt sienna and indigo with terra sienna, while also discussing black, coloured greys and warm interior chiaroscuro.
CONTEXT
Topics
Colour Theory, Broken/unbroken tones, neutral greys, chromatic darks, Explicit Mixture, Black, Coloured greys, Bistre, Bitumen, Warm chiaroscuro, Paint behaviour
Materials & Pigments
Prussian blue, Burnt Sienna, Indigo, Terra Sienna, Black, Bistre, Bitumen
Related People
Vincent van Gogh, Charles Blanc, Eugène Fromentin
Paintings
RESEARCH
Quotation
Prussian blue with burnt sienna actually produce much deeper tones even than pure black.
Research Focus
The letter provides direct evidence of Van Gogh constructing deep darks through colour mixtures and thinking about black as one component within a broader system of chromatic and neutral tones.
Related Work / Relevance
SOURCES & EVIDENCE
Source Type
Letter
Source
Source Edition
Vincent van Gogh — The Letters, scholarly online edition (Van Gogh Museum / Huygens ING)
Source URL
Evidence Type
Primary Source, Scholarly Annotation
Related Readings
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