On the Multivalent Nature of Colors ... Or ... What can Prussian blue tell us about color in the world?
Prussian blue has a winding history and a myriad of uses. Since discovery of the pigment in the early 18th century it has been improved, converted, adapted, substituted, and traded within a variety of platforms. It has been called the quintessential inorganic pigment. Its chemistry and physics were long misunderstood.
Join us for a discussion about the many ways colors may simultaneously inhabit nature, art, life, and the imagination, using Prussian blue as a reference point.
We will
- explore the multivalency (the quality of having many values, meanings, and appeals) of all colors using Prussian blue as a model
- examine the history, culture, chemistry, technology, uses, and meanings of Prussian blue since its invention/discovery/appearance
- disrupt the traditional format in which scholars share information, raise questions, and find new ways to think about their own research in color, whether or not it includes Prussian blue
Join us for brief presentations by
- Sarah K. Rich & Steve Chemly, “The bloody mess of Prussian blue”
- Sarah Lowengard, “Pigment to dyestuff”
- Fritz Horstmann, “Cyanotypes”
- Alexander Kraft, “"Insoluble, blue and nanoporous: Medical uses of Prussian blue”
. . . and nuances provided by
- Sabine Doran, "Prussian Blues in Multi-Media Art"
- Ad Stijnman, “Jacob Christoff Le Blon’s choice of Prussian blue for his three-color printing system”
- Nicholas Eastaugh, “Technical uses of Prussian blue”
- Andreas Schwarz, “Prussian blue in 19th century student paintboxes”
- Nadja Stanulevich, Prussian blue in early 20th century photography (Russian & European)
- Sarah Thau, “Reconstructing George Washington Carver’s 1927 patent for Prussian blue”
. . .plus comment and further insight from all participants.
See the (optional) resource packet below.
Organizers: Sarah Lowengard, with Sarah K. Rich and her team at the Center for Visual/Material Culture (Penn State University)