To coincide with Viridian being our hero colour we wanted to look at what makes this green so unique. Viridian is a rich, bright shade of green that has been used in art and design for centuries. The pigment is known for its durability, lightfastness, and versatility, making it a popular choice among artists and designers. Here we explore the various historical elements, properties and psychology behind this colour.
EXPLORING VIRIDIAN
THE STORY OF VIRIDIAN
We delved into the various properties of Viridian - including experimenting with its complimentary colours and the tonal shifts with gradual dilution to uncover its distinctive green hue.
We explored how the colour green is a complex and fascinating colour that has both physical and psychological effects on human beings. As the colour of nature, green is often associated with growth, renewal, and life.
In "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," Seurat makes extensive use of the colour viridian in his painting. Seurat used viridian to capture the various shades of green in the trees and grass of the park, as well as in the clothing of some of the figures in the painting.
Additionally, Seurat's use of viridian is part of his larger pointillist technique, where he used small dots or points of colour to create an image. By layering different dots of viridian on top of each other, Seurat was able to create the illusion of depth and dimension in the painting.
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
Georges Seurat
The Art Institute of Chicago
ART HISTORY
ÉDOUARD MANET
Manet's use of viridian in "The Balcony" serves to create a sense of depth and distance within the painting. The color helps to distinguish the background from the foreground, with the viridian leaves appearing further away than the figures in the foreground.
He use of Viridian is subtle but effective, contributing to the sense of space and perspective in the painting. Unlike Seurat, who used viridian as a primary colour to create a sense of unity and harmony, Manet used it sparingly to create a sense of depth and distance in the scene.
The Balcony
Édouard Manet
Musée d'Orsay
"IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN"
KERMIT THE FROG
STAFF ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: LAURA SLINN
One of exceptionally talented staff artists Laura Slinn painted a wonderful rainforest mural in the basement of our flagship Islington store. Read about how Laura tackled this amazing project
We delve into the anatomy of this colour and unearth what makes it such a unique pigment. We did a series of colour swatches and wheels using watercolour to showcase this pigments characteristics.
We wanted to share a selection of last month’s amazing Viridian-inspired Cass Colour Story Competition! Our wonderful audience created a diverse collection of artworks from figure to abstract, watercolour to digital.
Our Viridian Card initiative gives art & design tutors, teachers, technicians and art therapists an exclusive 10% off art supplies for life! Plus 5% of every purchase made with the Viridian Card goes to the National Saturday Club, helping young people across the country attend free Saturday morning classes at their local university, college or museum.
