How creators of early paintings worked with the limited palette of colours available to artists.
John FitzMaurice Mills explains how humans have progressed with the creation of images dating back twenty thousand years to the cave drawings made with muddy hand marks before discovering paint. Colour was limited to begin with as were the tools of the trade. Sticks, animal fur and fingertips were used in place of brushes.
He used his fingertips as artists have ever since.
The motivations for drawing pictures come from two schools of thought. One is that it was a form of ritual magic that provided courage ahead of hunting for food and clothing. The other suggestion is that early man painted pictures for pleasure.
The Renaissance in the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy marked a rebirth in learning and is regarded by many as the beginning of the history of painting. This period saw the emergence of artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo and Da Vinci who worked with a limited palette of colours with unusual names such as dragon's blood, malachite, fool's gold, yellow ochre, raw umber, and minium. One of the most exotic colours was real arch marine made from a semi precious stone.
'Painting for Pleasure' broadcast on 5 May 1980. The presenter is John FitzMaurice Mills.
