Blue (Exploring color in art)

We are all fascinated by the wonder of colour, from the lightest to the darkest, from one shade to another. True Color is a series of books that explores the subtle differences of each colour, how they were used, and why they were so important to famous artists throughout history.

Blue, perhaps the best loved color of all, is all around us. The sky, the sea dominate many works of art, but blue can also be mysterious, evoking infinity and stillness. From indigo to ultramarine, from the early Egyptians to modern art, Blue takes you on a journey of discovery.

The king of blue is ultramarine, a colour once as valuable as gold. It originated from lapis lazuli, a blue stone mined in the quarries of Badakshan, in Asia, by the source of the river Oxus which, when ground and carefully refined, becomes a deep blue powder. It was such an expensive colour that painters in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance used it sparingly, often for the clothes of divine figures, first and foremost Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the angels around her.