Preface Free

Pigments speak of passion – passion in their creation and in their application. They have graced our world with joy, delight, symbolism, protection, identity and meaning. They pervade every aspect of human life from the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the buildings we build. They color our bodies inside and out. Optical pigments shapeshift so that we can see form and color; dermal pigments protect our bodies from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light; pigments in our food give delight to the eye or warning of toxicity. Animals depend on pigments for camouflage, caution and connection. They are also the engines that govern growth, climate and the food we eat. They have given form to our artistic expression from the dawn of civilization. They are the products of Nature's wisdom, the forge of Vulcan, Egyptian furnaces, alchemical paint pots and slick modern laboratories. Their march through human history and the effect they have had on that history is the subject of this volume. This journey begins 45 000 years ago in Paleolithic caves around the world. It ends on the threshold of a future that will transform our very definition of a pigment.

This march could never have progressed, nor even begun, without an intimate partnership with chemistry. Beginning with the common hearth, once Homo sapiens introduced the reality of chemical change into routine activities, these changes found their way increasingly into the cultural expressions we call art. Little by little, the color palette expanded, aided by the trial-and-error of alchemists and early chemical practitioners. Archaeological expeditions and excavations have unearthed priceless signposts to lost cultures that we are still discovering today. Accompanied by occasional quantum leaps, pigment discovery and usage has advanced to the steady drumbeat of technological and theoretical development. Pigments have also been the bellwether of economic progress and prosperity: both the desire and production of colored products have accompanied the advance of civilization.

It is hoped that this comprehensive chronicle of how pigments have impacted humanity from the dawn of history will convey an appreciation of both Mother Nature and the civilizing influence of the chemical enterprise. But most of all, we hope that this entry into the world of pigments opens the reader to the enchantment and beauty that is chemistry.¹ 

Mary Virginia Orna