User:Jinieeun/Van Dyke brown

Van Dyke brown (Vandyke), also known as Cassel earth or Cologne earth, is a deep, rich, and warm brown colour often used in painting and printmaking.The names Kasssel (alternatively spelled Cassel) earth and Cologne earth appears under the names of its principal sources in early literature; however, today, it is generally referred to as Vandyke brown named after the painter Anthony van Dyck.

The colour was originally made from peat or soil, and has been applied as both watercolour and oil paints. Today, the pigment is made by combining asphaltum-like black with iron oxide. This replicates the colour of the original iron oxide-rich earth found in Cassel and Cologne, Germany. In painting, Vandyke brown "valued for its ability to create subtle variations in tone and depth" while in printmaking, Vandyke brown is a "type of photographic process used to create brown-toned prints".

History
Although the color is named after Anthony van Dyck, the origins of the pigment predate the painter by several centuries. Vandyke brown was first used "perhaps as early as the sixteenth century" by the Dutch and Flemish painters who used a mixture of earth pigments and bone black to create a dark, warm brown color. Though the first use of the color is debated, "a number of references of the pigment are found in early seventeenth century manuscripts". Generally, due to the lack of documentation and vague references to the color as different names, it is often unclear as to what pigment is being described, causing uncertainly as to how extensively the color was used in the past. In 1968, the color was officially listed under the name 'Van Dyke' brown no.1373 by the American company Reichard-Coulston, "as "an organic substance of peat moss type" and included an analysis typical of humic earth".

The application of this humid-earth pigment started in paints such as watercolor, oil, and encaustic, but well into the nineteenth century, the use of Vandyke brown became more widespread. Expanding to "crayons and miniatures on ivory", it was also used to paint rooms and "as a stain for grainers in woodworking applications".

Visual properties and permanence
Vandyke brown is typically made by mixing raw umber or burnt sienna with black pigment, and as a rich, dark brown color, it is often used to create shadows and depth and can be mixed with other colors to create a range of earthy tone. Depending on how it is used and combined with other colors, using Vandyke brown can create a range of effects and moods in an artwork.

When it comes to the permanence of Vandyke brown, it varies widely depending on the time of period. During the seventeenth century, the pigment was generally not very stable, as it was made of plant extracts which would fade over time. However, as the eighteenth and nineteenth century progress, with the use of better technology of manufactured paints, the color became more consistent and permanent. In a study done on the photochemical color change for traditional watercolor pigments in low oxygen levels, took samples of Vandyke brown from the nineteenth century and found that "their fading is unaffected by the presence of oxygen".

Notable occurrences
In the sample of Anthony van Dyck's painting Charity, it "appeared to contain green and brown pigments, possibly Cassel earth", referring to Vandyke brown. As one of the most important of the three theological virtues, Van Dyck personifies Charity as a woman or specifically, a mother surrounded by children represented by faith, hope and love who relies on the protection of 'Charity'. Based on the work of the scientists at the National Gallery London and employment of a x-ray radiography (XRR), Vandyke brown was found in the dark panel in the background and areas like the red-brown drapery and Charity's blue swathe in order to build up layers of color and create depth and dimensionality.

Television host Bob Ross frequently used Van Dyke brown oil paint on The Joy of Painting as a color for trees, cabins, and basecoats.