Re: alizarin crimson and lightfastness

[Laura Valentino <laura@this.is>]

When I was in college, I shared a house with 4 other art majors. When we 
went to have our utilities turned on, they asked us what name we wanted 
the billing under. Since no one wanted that financial responsibility, we 
decided to put it under the name Alizarin Crimson. Hehe, I'm surprised 
the woman actually believed it was a real name (wish I still had one of 
the bills). After that, we referred to her as "Liz" for short. Maybe 
she's the fugitive Daniel Smith is looking for. Probably skipped out on 
the last electric bill.

Laura


Judy Seigel wrote:
> If IRC there is no actual pigment "alizarin crimson" -- but a 
> free-floating designation the manufacturer can tack onto whatever they 
> please.
>
> An actual *pigment* is either manufactured or mined, like "ultramarine" 
> or "lamp black" or "burnt sienna" -- by a specific process or from a 
> particular set of hills...(I forget what the color was called, but 
> apparently the mine gave out for my favorite acrylic paint, called 
> something like maybe "Venetian Red." The company put a color in a jar 
> labeled "Venetian Red" but it wasn't the same -- so I had to take up 
> photography.)
>
> The term "alizarin crimson" is of course used for something suitably 
> red, tho -- for whatever reason, there are other alizarins.  For 
> instance my ancient Rowney watercolor chart shows aomething called 
> "Brown Madder (alizarin)" And I notice that the same chart has a red 
> called "crimson alizarin."  (I suppose they're hedging.) In any event, I 
> think the term has been cast into disrepute, that is, not used any more 
> in better paint circles.
>
> PS. My most recent (that is, 2006) Daniel Smith catalog does list an 
> alizarin crimson watercolor which it gives a rating of "IV" (that's 
> Roman Numeral 4) -- designated "Fugitive."  I've found the quinacridones 
> similar in tone and generally lightfastness rated "excellent."
>
> J.