The Technology of Desire

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Statuette of Aphrodite Anadyomene Late 2nd Century B.C.E.
(Creative Commons)

Modern colors represent, more than anything else, technology. Until quite recent times, artists had to know all about the chemistries involved in making pigments in order to have any with which to paint. They had to know where to get the raw materials and how to process them into suitable materials to combine with suitable glues or binders so they would stick to canvas or board. They also had to know how to make a coating for that canvas or board which would accept and hold onto the precious paint they would apply. Beyond the considerable cost of these materials, the hours they spent making paints, binders and coatings were immense. To add another layer of difficulty to this, some of the formulas for making pigments and paints were kept secret from the public and jealously guarded by guilds of artists and craftsmen. In short, pigments and paints were not only highly valuable commod…