Umber - Prehistoric Raw Earth Pigment - '
Umbra' in Latin : '
Shadow'
"The cold darkness of
Umber is steeped in history, first appearing in
Prehistoric cave paintings as the brown hides of frantic, fleeing animals.
~ Originally
mined from soil rich in
manganese and
iron oxide, the
pigment can be found in locations all around the world and shares
similar chemical properties with red and yellow ochre.
~ But it is the darker
shadowy sister in the family and as such has greater associations with mystery and intrigue."
Lascaux Cave Paintings : c. 17,000 years old
Untitled, 1950-52 ; Artist
: Rothko
" … American painter Mark Rothko saw in nature's darkest colours the ability to convey the internal, troubling emotions that plagued him … where trembling, vulnerable patches of
Umber suggest the unknown,
shadowy recesses of the human mind."