Northern Renaissance
1420–1580Flemish and German masters who pioneered oil painting, achieving supernatural luminosity through layered glazes.
Oil on oak panels with chalk-glue grounds. Pigments in linseed/walnut oil applied as thin translucent glazes.
Jan van Eyck
1390–1441Flemish
Perfected oil painting. The Ghent Altarpiece's luminosity remains unmatched.
Ultra-thin oil glazes over white chalk ground — light passes through layers and reflects back, like stained glass.
Further reading: Van Eyck (Basic Art) — Till-Holger BorchertGhent altarpiece red
Luminous red — vermilion glazed with crimson lake over white ground.
Material: Vermilion, crimson lake over chalk ground
RGB(158, 42, 42)
Van Eyck green
Intense verdigris — Van Eyck's unmatched control of this unstable pigment.
Material: Verdigris in oil, carefully controlled
RGB(42, 106, 58)
Divine radiance
Gold leaf and gold paint coexisting — divine light is literal gold.
Material: Gold leaf, orpiment, lead-tin yellow
RGB(200, 170, 64)
Flemish ultramarine
Deep saturated blue of the Virgin's robe — pure ultramarine.
Material: Ultramarine from lapis lazuli
RGB(43, 74, 122)
Mirror-like flesh
Almost enamel-like smoothness — impossibly fine brushwork.
Material: Lead white, vermilion, yellow ochre in ultra-thin glazes
RGB(218, 186, 152)
Oil shadow depth
Profound darkness achievable with oil glazes over white — transparent dark that glows.
Material: Lamp black, burnt umber in thin oil glazes
RGB(42, 34, 24)
Pigments: Vermilion · Madder and the red lakes · Verdigris · Orpiment · Lead-tin yellow · Gold leaf · Ultramarine · Ochre · Lead white · Umber · Lamp black
Albrecht Dürer
1471–1528German
Supreme German Renaissance artist. Master printmaker who brought Italian principles north.
Worked in watercolor, oil, and engraving. Combined Flemish precision with Venetian warmth.
Further reading: Albrecht Durer (Taschen Basic Art Series) — Norbert WolfYoung Hare brown
Precise brown of the famous watercolor.
Material: Watercolor: raw umber, burnt sienna
RGB(122, 90, 58)
Self-portrait gold
Rich golden-brown of curled hair in the 1500 self-portrait.
Material: Yellow ochre, raw sienna in oil
RGB(184, 144, 58)
Apocalypse black
Dense velvety black of Dürer's woodcuts.
Material: Carbon black printing ink on laid paper
RGB(26, 26, 26)
Blue Roller wing
Precise blue of the Dead Blue Roller watercolor.
Material: Watercolor: azurite or smalt
RGB(74, 122, 170)
Great Piece of Turf
Variegated green of the famous grass study.
Material: Watercolor: verdigris, sap green, terre verte
RGB(74, 106, 42)
Paper reserve
Paper itself as lightest tone — warm ivory of handmade rag.
Material: Cotton/linen rag paper, gelatin sized
RGB(232, 220, 192)
Pigments: Umber · Sienna · Ochre · Lamp black · Azurite · Green earth · Verdigris · Sap green
Hieronymus Bosch
1450–1516Netherlandish
Visionary of hellscapes and earthly delights. Imagery without precedent or true successor.
Flemish oil on oak panels but applied to hallucinatory subjects. Palette shifts from naturalistic paradise to lurid hell.
Further reading: Bosch — Walter Bosing (Taschen Basic Art)Hellfire orange
Lurid orange-red of burning structures in the Hell panel.
Material: Red lead, vermilion, realgar
RGB(200, 74, 26)
Eden green
Cool jewel-like green of paradise panels — almost toxic perfection.
Material: Verdigris, malachite in oil glazes
RGB(58, 122, 74)
Demon black
Absolute darkness from which demons emerge.
Material: Lamp black, bone black, bistre
RGB(26, 20, 16)
Earthly flesh
Pale anemic flesh tone of countless nudes suggesting innocence.
Material: Lead white with minimal vermilion and ochre
RGB(216, 184, 160)
Fountain of Youth blue
Crystalline blue of pools promising regeneration.
Material: Azurite with lead white
RGB(74, 122, 154)
Corruption brown
Muddy brown of decay — organic matter decomposing.
Material: Raw umber, yellow ochre, lamp black
RGB(90, 58, 26)
Pigments: Vermilion · Red lead · Verdigris · Malachite · Lamp black · Bone black · Ochre · Lead white · Azurite · Umber
Pieter Bruegel the Elder
1525–1569Flemish
Painter of peasant life and landscapes of extraordinary scope. Captured full cycle of seasons.
Palette reflects Northern European landscape — cool greens, grey skies, earth browns, famous snow whites.
Further reading: Bruegel — Rose-Marie & Rainer Hagen (Taschen Basic Art)Hunters in Snow white
Cool blue-tinged white of snow — not pure white but atmospheric.
Material: Lead white with azurite and lamp black traces
RGB(216, 216, 208)
Peasant red
Warm red of peasant garments — cheaper and earthier than vermilion.
Material: Red ochre, red lead, madder lake
RGB(168, 58, 42)
Flemish sky grey
Overcast grey of Brabant skies — neutral grey making landscapes sing.
Material: Lead white, lamp black, azurite trace
RGB(138, 138, 138)
Babel ochre
Warm ochre of the Tower — baked earth, human ambition.
Material: Yellow ochre, raw sienna, burnt sienna
RGB(184, 138, 90)
Haymaking green
Rich warm green of summer/autumn — distinct from winter palette.
Material: Verdigris over yellow ochre
RGB(90, 122, 58)
Frozen pond blue
Pale blue of frozen waterways reflecting grey sky.
Material: Azurite thinned with lead white and black
RGB(122, 154, 170)
Pigments: Azurite · Lead white · Lamp black · Red lead · Madder and the red lakes · Ochre · Sienna · Verdigris
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