Brian Lee
🤖
1. Pyrrole Red (PR254)
2. Pyrrole Scarlet (PR255)
3. Pyrrole Red Deep (PR264)
I’ve been using Geneva Pyrrole Rubine and am happy with it overall. However, I think its value is too dark to effectively capture brightly lit red objects.
Generally poor lightfastness compared to other modern pigments.
4. Naphthol Red AS-D (PR112)
5. Naphthol Red F5RK (PR170)
6. Naphthol Scarlet (PR188)
7. Quinacridone Red (PR209)
8. Quinacridone Magenta (PR122)
Doesn’t seem to have uses for oil painting.
9. Cerium Sulfide Red (PR265)
| Feature | Vermilion (PR106) | Cadmium Red (PR108) |
|---|---|---|
| Main Component | Mercury(II) sulfide (HgS) | Cadmium sulfoselenide |
| Toxicity | High (Mercury-based) | Moderate (Cadmium-based) |
| Lightfastness | Medium (can darken over time) | High (very stable in light) |
| Stability | Prone to degradation | Chemically and physically stable |
| Color Quality | Rich red, slight orange hue | Vivid red, various warm shades |
| Production | Historically variable quality | Industrially consistent |
In the strict botanical sense, Venetian (Venice) Turpentine is not a balsam but an oleoresin—the viscous exudate from the larch tree ( Larix decidua ) that contains both volatile “turpentine” oils and non-volatile resinous solids.
However, historical painting manuals and some suppliers have loosely grouped it with the balsams (especially Canada balsam), since it behaves similarly as a viscous, fixative-type medium in oil painting. For example, Rutherford Gettens and George Stout’s Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia actually lists Venice Turpentine under “balsams”, even though Frederic Hyde’s Solvents, Oils, Gums… treats it as a solvent—reflecting the overlap in practical use more than strict chemical classification (Natural Pigments, Darwin Price).
Oleoresin character
Use in mediums
Aging considerations
Venetian Turpentine is properly an oleoresin—not a true benzoic/cinnamic “balsam”—but in painting practice it’s often treated alongside balsams for its viscous, fixative properties.