I think, he used “Emerald Green” or “Veronese Green” quite extensively!
Those colors are very pure green – aceto-arsenite salt of copper. Probably, one of the basic colours on his palette. You can try Phthalo Emerald instead.

I have seen a few of Monet’s paintings at the Phoenix Art Museum, back at the time they still have really good exhibits, and I was able to get my nose right up to them…One of the Haystack paintings, and one of the Rouen (sp) Cathedral paintings.

Surprising as it may seem, I found that the colors used in those paintings were not all that “pure”, or “brilliant”, or “intense” as many like to believe they are.

His colors (even his small, dabs of individual colors) were actually quite muted, and subdued (grayed), and of course when those colors were mixed with each other they became even grayer.

I totally believe that his palette of colors may have consisted of the colors in his quote. Vermilion is a very muted “red”, actually. The other colors are not remarkable, either. I have no idea what Chrome Green is in terms of its actual color.

Now, I have seen some paintings by Renoir, also, and those practically jump off their canvases, they are so intense, and brightly painted.:)

Yes, I’ve seen many many Monet’s in various museums across Europe, and I agree completely with you Bill. The majority of his paintings are in fact rather muted.

More important than trying to copy the exact colors of the impressionist would be to try to capture their essence. Back then, synthetic colors had just been invented, and they were considered to be “liberating” compared to traditional painting techniques. Synthetic pigments were higher chroma, more vibrant, and opaque. And by painting without too much mixing, they were put together with pointillism to represent natural light.

Here’s what I would recommend to capture their spirit:

[*]Titanium White (PW 6), and Zinc Sulphide (PW 7) for a more transparent white.

[*]Bismuth Yellow (PY 184), sometimes mixed with Lemon Yellow (PY 3) for accents.

[*]Chrome Oxide Green (PG 17)

[*]Ultramarine Blue (PB 29) or Cobalt Blue (PB 28).

[*]Quinacridone Magenta (PR 122). The opaque variety is very rare. I only found it at Kremer, so you can use a transparent magenta.

[*]Pyrrole Red Light (PR 255), opaque version. If you can’t find the opaque version, mix it with a little Light Red (PR 101 or PR 102).

[*]Dioxazine Purple (PV 23), a permanent alternative to the fugitive violets of back then.

[*]Mars Black (PBk 11).

That’s a pretty interesting palette you’ve mentioned, Mythrill. One never knows when you’re going to mention something priceless!

When you mention the two whites, do you mean that either one should be on this palette, or that both ought to be? Or (even though I know that Alex – Gigalot – would disapprove) that one could use a mixture of the two?

This palette looks pretty good I just like to have both (opaque and transparent) versions of white paint. Both are useful!!

I think it’s probably similar to the Zorn palette: Anders Zorn liked to boast about his four paints (lead white, yellow ochre, vermilion, and black), and those four paints were certainly the core of his palette. But, just as certainly, they weren’t the only four paints he used. Likewise, I’d bet that Monet did keep these six paints as the core of his palette, but likely added to them as needed. I’d be quite surprised if he never ever used chrome orange or emerald green or cobalt violet.

In short, I use [B]white lead, cadmium yellow, vermilion, madder, cobalt blue, chrome green[/B]. That’s all.

Luckily, these colors are all still available!

I think it’s probably similar to the Zorn palette: Anders Zorn liked to boast about his four paints (lead white, yellow ochre, vermilion, and black), and those four paints were certainly the core of his palette. But, just as certainly, they weren’t the only four paints he used. Likewise, I’d bet that Monet did keep these six paints as the core of his palette, but likely added to them as needed. I’d be quite surprised if he never ever used chrome orange or emerald green or cobalt violet.
Luckily, these colors are all still available!

The point is, why would you paint with Lead White (PW 1) or Vermillion (PR 106), when you can paint with technically superior materials? If you are emulating everything about the impressionists, sure, this would be the approach. But if you are trying to capture their essence, then I believe using superior materials will give a very interesting result. That’s because, just as I said, they didn’t have a permanent violet, for example. So whatever organic violet they used would quickly fade and become grayish. We don’t have to suffer from any of these limitations anymore.

The point is, why would you paint with Lead White (PW 1) or Vermillion (PR 106), when you can paint with technically superior materials? If you are emulating [B][I]everything[/I][/B] about the impressionists, sure, this would be the approach. But if you are trying to capture their [B][I]essence[/I][/B], then I believe using superior materials will give a very interesting result.

I do agree in substance, but if we’re talking about capturing the essence of those older materials, many newer materials just aren’t anything like them. Cadmium red light, for instance, is nothing like vermilion. I’ve painted Zorn palette with both, and there’s just no comparison. Vermilion wants to be skin tones. Cadmium red, on the other hand, seems like it would rather do just about anything else. It will do it, but it needs to be forced to.

You can, of course, modify the cadmium with mediums, calcite, oleogel, etc., to try to make it more like real vermilion, but it’s not like vermilion out of the tube. For me, vermilion and lead white are both a pleasure to paint with, whereas painting with cadmium red and titanium white are like trying to corral loud, wild beasts.

To me, capturing the essence of older materials means not trying to match their color, but rather their mixing properties. I’m not looking for a modern vermilion – I’m looking for a whole range of modern colors that easily and pleasurably mix into skin tones the way that vermilion does. Cobalt teal PB28 is a great example of a modern color that does this.

(Concerning lead white: I don’t believe there is a technically superior material to this. It maintains its strength and flexibility in an oil film over time in a way other pigments just don’t do. Lead white is a big reason many oil paintings from hundreds of years ago are still in good condition. You definitely have a case for thinking vermilion is inferior, but not, in my opinion, lead white.)

That’s because, just as I said, they didn’t have a permanent violet, for example.

Well, some of them did have cobalt violet. But certainly nothing like dioxazine. But again, a dioxazine won’t give you the essence of a cobalt violet, unless whipped and beaten and forced to do it.