• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Watch Free Demo
  • Login
  • Contact
  • Customer Support

Old Masters Academy

How to paint like the Old Masters using modern materials

  • About
  • Free Demo
  • Art Lessons
    • Personal Tutoring
  • Pricing
  • Community ▾
    • Win Art Course
    • Watch Free Demo
    • Artwork Critique
    • Students Gallery
    • Art Articles
    • Academy Team
    • News
  • Reviews
  • FAQ

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

Art Lesson 38, Part 9

Discover how Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

Learn how to paint like the Old Masters!

Old Masters Academy Online Course
Self-study, self-paced online video course

Lifetime membership
One-time payment: $487

Enroll Now!
Personal Tutoring online + Online Course
Unlimited tutoring by the Academy teachers

Lifetime membership
One-time payment: $997

Enroll Now!


« Back to the Art Lessons List

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

Earth pigments play an important role in Rembrandt’s palette. They come in various colors of muted warm red, orange, yellow, and brown. Earth pigments are very stable and are suitable for mixing with pigments of any kind. They also dry very well in oil. Lacking intensity of color, these pigments suited Rembrandt’s painting style and the master used them to a great advantage.

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

Every painting by Rembrandt contains some kind of earth pigments. They are found in backgrounds, draperies, flesh tints, and details of costume and jewelry.

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

All earth pigments can be loosely divided into ochres, siennas, and umbers.

Ochres come in yellow, orange, brown, and red colors. They are the most opaque of all earth paints.

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

Rembrandt used ochres on their own as well as in mixes with other pigments.

For example, in A Woman Bathing in a Stream, pure opaque red, orange, and yellow ochres were used to highlight details. In Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels, Rembrandt used pure ochre on the arm of the chair.

When stronger, more vibrant color was required, the artist mixed ochres with strong red lakes. Such mixtures can be seen in the tablecloth (in Portrait of Hendrickje Stoffels, and also in the stirrup strap in Portrait of Frederik Rihel on Horseback, and also in Belshazzar’s Feast.

Umber colors range from dark brown to almost black. In general, umber paints are transparent and fast-drying. Rembrandt often used this fast-drying pigment to make a thin brown umber imprimatura over chalk grounds.

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings

How Rembrandt Used Earth Pigments in his Paintings


Learn how to paint like the Old Masters!

Old Masters Academy Online Course
Self-study, self-paced online video course

Lifetime membership
One-time payment: $487

Enroll Now!
Personal Tutoring online + Online Course
Unlimited tutoring by the Academy teachers

Lifetime membership
One-time payment: $997

Enroll Now!

Primary Sidebar

Search Website

Members Area

You are not currently logged in.








» Lost your Password?

Watch Free Demo

Old Masters Academy

Art Course

» Personal Tutoring
» Art Lessons
» Free Demo
» Enroll in the Course

Art Community

» Win Art Course
» Art Competition Winners
» Art Competition Archive
» Artwork Critique
» Students Gallery
» Art Articles
» Academy Team
» News

Course Tutor

» Natalie Richy

Fine Art Resources

Watercolor Academy - How to paint in watercolor Life Drawing Academy - How to draw figures and portraits Drawing Academy Anatomy Master Class Art-Fame

Footer

Watercolor Academy

Art Lessons

About Old Masters Academy™
Art Lessons
Personal Tutoring
Free Demo
Old Masters Academy Pricing

Life Drawing Academy

Discover

Art Competition
Old Masters Academy FAQ
Old Masters Academy Reviews
Old Masters Academy News
Fine Art Resources

Drawing Academy

Support & Legal

Contact
Customer Support
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use and Service
Sales & Refund Policy

Anatomy Master Class

Students Area

Members Login
Artwork Critique
Students Gallery
Old Masters Academy Community
Old Masters Academy Team

© 2007-2023 · Old Masters Academy · All rights reserved.