United Colours of Art: The Long Struggle of Orange to Become an Independent Color

publication · 2026-10-06

In its exploration of half-tones, Artspecialday focuses on the color orange, which is derived from nature, contrasting with Aristotle's six fundamental colors. Today, orange is prevalent in items like traffic cones, US prison attire, and sports team uniforms, yet its history is intricate. Pliny the Elder referenced a terracotta hue in Ancient Egypt. During the Middle Ages, orange was scarce and initially sourced from saffron. The word 'orange' became widely used in the 14th century alongside the arrival of orange imports. In the 18th century, Antonio Stradivari developed an orange varnish. The discovery of chromium by Vauquelin in 1797 paved the way for synthetic orange pigments. Artists such as Renoir, Degas, and Van Gogh embraced orange, with Kandinskij linking it more closely to yellow than to red.

Key facts

Orange is the first of the half-tones (purple, pink, orange, brown) covered in the United Colours of Art series.
Aristotle codified six primary colors: red, yellow, green, blue, black, and white.
In Ancient Egypt, a terracotta shade from arsenic sulfide was used for skin tones, as recorded by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century AD.
Medieval alchemists used risigallo as a medicine after reading Pliny's Naturalis Historia.
The word 'orange' entered common language in the 14th century with the first imports of oranges.
Antonio Stradivari invented a famous orange varnish for his violins in the 18th century.
In 1797, French chemist Vauquelin discovered chromium from crocoite, enabling the first synthetic orange pigment.
Vincent van Gogh stated: 'there is no blue without yellow and without orange.'

Entities

Artists

Institutions

Artspecialday
Bauhaus
MIfacciodiCultura

Locations

Ancient Egypt
China
Ceylon
Indies
Netherlands
United States
England
Germany
Catalonia
Cornudella
Barcelona

Sources

Art Special Day — 2026-10-06