| Umber | |
|---|---|
 Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #635147 |
| sRGBB (r,g,b) | (99, 81, 71) |
| HSV (h,s,v) | (21°, 28%, 39%) |
| CIELChuv (L,C,h) | (36, 15, 39°) |
| Source | ColorHexa[1] |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
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Umber is a natural earth pigment consisting ofiron oxide andmanganese oxide; it has a brownish color that can vary among shades of yellow, red, and green.[3]: 39 Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first seen inAjanta Caves in 200 BC – 600 AD.[4]: 378 Umber's advantages are its highly versatile color, warm tone, and quick drying abilities.[5]: 148–49 While some sources indicate that umber's name comes from its geographic origin inUmbria, other scholars suggest that it derives from the Latin wordumbra, which means "shadow".[6]: 250 The belief that its name derives from the word for shadow is fitting, as the color helps create shadows.[6]: 250 The color is primarily produced inCyprus.[6]: 250 Umber is typically mined fromopen pits orunderground mines and ground into a fine powder that is washed to remove impurities.[7] In the 20th century, the rise of synthetic dyes decreased the demand for natural pigments such as umber.[citation needed]
The earliest documented uses of umber date from between 200 BC and 600 AD in theAjanta Caves found in India.[4]Ocher, a family of earth pigments which includes umber, has been identified in the caves ofAltamira inSpain and theLascaux Cave inFrance.[6]: 251 Some sources indicate that umber was not frequently used in medieval art because of its emphasis on bright and vivid colors.[8]: 166 Other sources indicate, however, that umber was used in the Middle Ages to create different shades of brown, most often seen for skin tones.[9] Umber's use in Europe increased in the late 15th century.[8]: 168 Umber became more popular during theRenaissance when its versatility, earthy appearance, availability, and inexpensiveness were recognized.[6]: 251
Umber gained widespread popularity in Dutch landscape painting in the eighteenth century.[4]: 378 Artists recognized the value of umber's high stability, inertness, and drying abilities.[5]: 148–49 It became a standard color within eighteenth-century palettes throughout Europe.[4]: 378 Umber's popularity grew during theBaroque period with the rise of thechiaroscuro style.[citation needed] Umber allowed painters to create an intense light and dark contrast.[citation needed]Underpainting was another popular technique for painting that used umber as a base color.[10] Umber was valuable in deploying this technique, creating a range of earth like tones with various layering of color.[citation needed]
Toward the end of the 19th century, theImpressionist movement started to use cheaper and more readily availablesynthetic dyes and rejectnatural pigments like umber to create mixed hues of brown.[citation needed] TheImpressionists chose to make their own browns from mixtures of red, yellow, green, blue and other pigments, particularly the new synthetic pigments such ascobalt blue andemerald green that had just been introduced.[6] In the 20th century, natural umber pigments began to be replaced by pigments made with syntheticiron oxide andmanganese oxide.[citation needed]
Beginning in the 17th century, umber was increasingly criticized within the art community. British painter Edward Norgate, prominent with British royalty and aristocracy, called umber "a foul and greasy color."[3]: 56 In the 18th century, Spanish painterAntonio Palomino called umber "very false."[3]: 56 Jan Blockx, a Belgian painter, opined, "umber should not appear on the palette of the conscientious painter."[3]: 56
Umber is a natural brown pigment extracted fromclay containingiron,manganese, andhydroxides.[11] Umber has diverse hues, ranging from yellow-brown to reddish-brown and even green-brown. The color shade varies depending on the proportions of the components. When heated, umber becomes a more intense color and can look almost black. Burnt umber is produced by calcining the raw version.[citation needed] The raw form of umber is typically used forceramics because it is less expensive.[12]
These warm and earthy tones make it a valuable and versatile pigment foroil painting and other artwork.[12] Umber's high opacity and reactivity of light allow the pigment to have stronghiding power.[13] It is insoluble inwater, resistant toalkalis and weak acids, and non-reactive withcement,solvents,oils, and mostresins.[12] Umber is known for its stability.[5]: 149
Umber became widely used throughout theRenaissance period for oil paintings.[15] In theMona Lisa,Leonardo da Vinci used umber for the brown tones throughout his subject's hair and clothing.[14]Da Vinci also extensively used umber in his painting theLast Supper to create shadows and outlines of the figures.[16] Throughout theBaroque period, many renowned painters used umber.[citation needed]
| Raw Umber | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #826644 |
| sRGBB (r,g,b) | (130, 102, 68) |
| HSV (h,s,v) | (33°, 48%, 51%) |
| CIELChuv (L,C,h) | (45, 33, 52°) |
| Source | ISCC-NBS[usurped] |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Moderate yellowish brown |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
This is the colorraw umber.
| Burnt umber | |
|---|---|
| Color coordinates | |
| Hex triplet | #8A3324 |
| sRGBB (r,g,b) | (138, 51, 36) |
| HSV (h,s,v) | (9°, 74%, 54%) |
| CIELChuv (L,C,h) | (34, 69, 17°) |
| Source | Xona.com Color List |
| ISCC–NBS descriptor | Strong reddish brown |
| B: Normalized to [0–255] (byte) | |
Burnt umber is made by heating raw umber, which dehydrates the iron oxides and changes them partially to the more reddishhematite. It is used for both oil and water color paint.[17]
The first recorded use ofburnt umber as a color name inEnglish was in 1650.[18]
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