Harvard University has a library that protects the rarest colors in the world.

The Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies houses the Forbes Pigment Collection, which contains more than 2,500 samples of pigments, some incredibly rare and harvested from things like mummies, heavy metals, poisons, and precious minerals.

The collection was amassed by Edward Waldo Forbes (1873-1969), who directed Harvard's Fogg Museum, between 1910 and 1944.

Forbes is considered the Father of Art Conservation in the United States and spent most of his life traveling the world to collect various pigments that he used to authenticate classical Italian paintings.

The pigments are still used by art experts to authenticate and understand paintings.

Congratulations to 1st Prize Winner of the 2022 Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize, Yasha Young Projects Sculpture Award - Chie Shimizu, with her work “Immovable mind”, Ultra-cal, plaster, seashell powder, pigments, white gold leaf, 17″ x 12″ x 12″

Chie Shimizu was born in Japan. Shimizu’s art in the 1990s consisted of metalwork and oil painting. Since the beginning of the new millennium, her work has been predominantly in the medium of realistic figure sculpture with Japanese traditional painting, and partially with metal leaf. Shimizu earned her BFA from Tokyo University of the Arts in 1993 with a major in metal crafts, and received Salon De Printemps Prize at graduation. She had several shows of both metalworks and oil paintings in Japan, before moving to New York in 1996. She earned her MFA in sculpture from the New York Academy of Art in 2001 and received a grant from the HRH Prince of Wales and Forbes Foundation for the artist residency program in France. Her work has been exhibited in numerous venues in New York. Shimizu’s work has also been included in private collections worldwide, from the United States to Germany, Turkey, Israel, Peru, and Japan. She currently lives and works in Queens, New York.

Get all the information about this year's Sculpture Award Winners on www.beautifulbizarre.net 

#beautifulbizarre #beautifulbizarreartprize #internationalartprize #artprize #sculpture

tea orange: what is something that your muse is fascinated with?

Lorelei loves listening to other people be passionate about something. If she meets, like, a scientist who’s deeply excited about a supremely niche subject? That subject is her new favorite thing for as long as they’re talking. She finds the passion and joy people can find in almost any topic as interesting and compelling as the topic itself.

As for her? She loves learning about the science of color. Dyes, pigments, their sources and histories are something she can’t get enough of, and she aspires to visit the Forbes Pigment Collection one day.

Extensive Research by University of Otago Special Collections Librarian, Donald Kerr showcase the whereabouts of Alexander Shaw’s book of tapa collected on Captain Cook’s voyages. 

It is most interesting to note the whereabouts that collectors and exhibitors have pacific treasured barkcloth on display all over the western world (see list images)

“My main objective was to track down institutional copies of Shaw’s work so that scholars in the field could pin-point actual copies at actual libraries and museums and thereby conduct further research on this important Pacific publication. Thus to date (January 2015), 66 copies have been noted, which includes 57 institutional copies, five privately owned copies, one still in a dealer’s hands, and three that remain mysteriously out there...” - Donald Kerr  January 2015

So what makes this research important?

Forbes has described Shaw’s Tapa Cloth book as ‘one of the great curiosities resulting from Cook’s Third Voyage’, further calling it a ‘very rare book, of which no two copies are alike’. The variety is certainly there, with specimens extending from rather large folded sheets to thin slivers of cloth. The colours and pigments also differ, as do the number in each volume: many registering the 39 as stipulated in Shaw’s ‘Preface’. Others often lack the ‘Jamaica’ sample. 

Initially 30 copies of Shaw's catalogue were known to have survived, but a more recent estimate by Ian Morrison (see article below) gives a figure of 45, held in institutions world-wide. However, a rather more recent reckoning has pushed this number to 47. This does not take into account various copies (five so far), that have been offered up by antiquarian dealers (in parts or whole).

https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/4573

YinMn Blue

Nautical, mystical and the de facto shade of several social networks, blue is a color that has deep cultural cachet, while being nearly impossible to find in nature. The blues that abound in nature — a butterfly, a navy beetle, even blue eyes — are not natively blue, according to scientists, but instead are reflections of light, the impression of blue.

Since antiquity, blue has been associated with rarity and expense; ultramarine — a pigment originally made from grinding lapis lazuli, a semiprecious gemstone found in Afghan mines — was once worth as much as gold.

Today, our blues are created by chemists in labs. But that doesn’t mean creating new shades is easy or common.

Before 2009, when a team of chemists at Oregon State University developed a color now known as YInMn Blue (quite unexpectedly), it had been 200 years since the last inorganic blue pigment was created. (That one was cobalt, discovered by French chemist Thénard in 1802.)

Now, YInMn Blue is available to artists as a paint and for commercial use. (The Environmental Protection Agency approved it for industrial coatings and plastics in 2017.) It has a home in the archive of the Forbes Pigment Collection at Harvard University, and has even inspired an addition to the spectrum of Crayola crayons — a striking shade called “Bluetiful.”

A Star Is Born

The shade was invented by Mas Subramanian, a professor of materials science at Oregon State University, who was working with a team of graduate students to develop an inorganic material that could be used for electronic devices. When a sample he had put in the furnace came out a vivid, vibrant hue of ultramarine, Subramanian said he immediately realized “the brilliant, very intense blues” were like nothing he had seen before, and would be better suited to use in paint than on pieces of technology.

“I was very curious why manganese did this because manganese is not known in pigments. So I was kind of surprised and thought maybe we made a mistake,” he said in an interview. “Then we decided to repeat the experiment.”

The blue proved stable, but it could also be slightly altered to get variations in hue. “We decided ‘OK, this is interesting for the pigment industry,’” Subramanian said.

The name for the new blue is derived from its chemical components’ symbols on the periodic table of elements: yttrium, indium and manganese.

The beauty of YInMn Blue is that it is not only able to be widely duplicated via Subramanian’s formula, but is also nontoxic, making it safer to use — and perhaps more eco-friendly too. “People think nearly everything related to the periodic table has some toxicity attached to it,” Subramanian said. “But this material so far is very stable, it doesn’t leach out in the rain or any acid conditions.”

“I know from experience that blue is a difficult color to make,” Subramanian said. “Most of the blues in nature are not real blues because they are all mostly made from the way light reflects from objects.”

Yet, together, at an extremely high temperature of 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit, the chemical compounds yttrium, indium and manganese combined to create an actual blue. And unlike organic plant-based hues that are less durable over time, this chemically derived color will not change.

Previous Pigments

The Forbes Pigment Collection at the Harvard Art Museums houses more than 2,500 pigments; YInMn Blue has recently been added and was prominently featured in a small display case on the fourth floor. Narayan Khandekar, a senior conservation scientist and director of the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies at the Harvard Art Museums, has been following the development of this pigment for years, and requested some of the earliest YInMn samples to add to the collection.

When pigments hit the market, Khandekar said, he and his team immediately get to work tracking down samples “because we believe that these are things that are going to be used in artist materials in the future.” Even when YInMn was fairly new, before it was commercially available, a prototype of a tube of artists paint in the color was made by the paint company Derivan and given to the Forbes Collection.

Subramanian’s blue also made it into the collection because it is a rare example of a wholly modern pigment, in contrast to the many pigments from the Middle Ages that are housed in the collection.

“It’s kind of an amazing thing that he was able to just look at something that was an accident. And then recognize how it could be applied to something that he had no experience with whatsoever,” Khandekar said of Subramanian. “You’ve got synthetic ultramarine, which came along in 1826, but that was synthesizing an already known pigment.”

There will be naysayers — those who say they can’t see much of a difference between ultramarine and YInMn Blue. But, Subramanian said: “This is a very special discovery because this is the first time my discovery has reached to the society with so much diversity — artists, architects, the fashion industry, even the cosmetics industry. I never would have imagined my discovery would go this far.” He added: “This changed my life.”

Khandekar agreed. “It’s not often that you come along with a synthetic inorganic pigment,” he said.

By Evan Nicole Brown.

“An Atlas of Rare and Familiar Colour”

Edward Forbes began collecting color pigments in the early 20th century,  initiated with the aim of preserving some early Italian artworks that the former director of the Fogg Museum had begun collecting. 

Since then, the collection has expanded astronomically (2,500 of the world’s rarest pigments), and whilst still used by conservation purposes, today it is also a resource for identification and authentication of works and offers art historians an insight into early creative practices.

Photography: Pascale Georgiev for Atelier Éditions

The Forbes Collection owes its existence to a belief in the interdependence of art and science, but it is also an exhaustive archive of cultural passion. 

Microsoft launched a limited edition series of Xbox game controllers designed by three Indigenous Mexican artisans. And they’re absolutely beautiful.

The three artisans were chosen as representatives of the country’s 68 different Indigenous communities and together they helped create the special edition controllers. The artisans chosen to work alongside Xbox on the project came from the Huichol (in Nayarit), from the towns of Olinalá in Guerrero, and from Tenango in Hidalgo.

Although the controllers aren’t functional, I can’t say I’d even want to use them to play games because they’re way too stunning. And besides, they were created to highlight the artistry and intricate techniques used by Mexico’s Indigenous people so that people both inside and outside the world of gaming will be more aware of the cultural value that indigenous peoples represent.

The Huichól-designed controller is rich in detailed bead work and full of color.

Mexico’s Huichól are from the western state of Nayarit and are well-known for intricate beadwork and that’s exactly what the team did with Xbox. Grisela Carillo, who was one of the participating artisans, explained that each motif expresses an important symbol or tradition for her community.

The controller is decorated with colorful Huichól beads, painted with flowers, or covered in Tenango embroidery. It’s an intricate and detailed piece of art.

In an Instagram post, the artisan involved explained that: “The symbols we used in each piece have a meaning, such as the corn which represents prosperity, the butterfly which brings good luck, the scorpion which is the protector of peyote and the deer who is the God of the ocean.”

In addition, she said that her mother also provided help with the project and was the one who taught her how to create objects like this one. “She gave the most delicate touches to the piece and I gave the final decoration touches,” added Carillo.

Another controller came from the state of Guerrero and it’s equally stunning.

The second of the Xbox controller was hand-painted with designs from the iconic floral art of Olinalá, a mountainous town in Guerrero state. It is inspired by the traditional wooden boxes that are painted with lináloe. The artisan involved, Francisco Coronel Redón, explained his work to Forbes:

“The central images are of the roses, flowers, and leaves that represent our tierra. We used many vibrant colors that help represent the spring, full of life and beautiful colors. The materials we use in this technique called ‘lináloe’ are natural pigments that we manufacture ourselves.”

Artisans from Tenango de Doria were involved in creating this controller to represent Hidalgo’s Indigenous communities.

The third controller was designed with intricate embroidery from the deeply rooted traditions of the communities of Tenango de Doria en Hidalgo state. A collective of local artisans – Tenangos Ma Hoi – helped lead the design and commented that “all the embroidery goes according to the mood of the person who is embroidering at that time.” That’s truly how art is created.

Tenango – which means ‘place of the walls’ – is known for the beauty and magic of its embroidery and each piece of thread carries the history of its community. In the Xbox controllers, animals and mother nature take center stage as the design’s main characters.

Each of these unique controllers represents generations of technique, skill, and tradition passed down through families and communities. In honor of the International Day Of Indigenous Peoples it’s great to see Indigenous artisans getting the opportunities they deserve to showcase these beautiful works of art.

My media this week (15-21 Aug 2021)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😍👂 The Graveyard Book (full cast audio) (Neil Gaiman) – fantastic; Derek Jacobi does most of the work as the narrator but Julian Rhind-Tutt and Miriam Margoyles are also perfection

😐 Sweet Torture (Butterynutjob) - 92K, Erik x Charles

😐 Chemistry (deadto27) - 49K, Stucky - modern, no powers AU 

😍 Skyfall Lodge (BootsnBlossoms, Kryptaria) - 55K, 00Q - a canon-divergent Skyfall fic with some great D/s stuff

😍👂 The Mystery of the Moving Image (Snow & Winter #3) (C.S. Poe, author; Wyatt Baker, narrator) – I love Sebastian Snow and his irascible, brilliant, stubbornness-sometimes-overriding-common-sense Victorian-American-obsessed self.

😍👂 The Mystery of the Bones (Snow & Winter #4) (C.S. Poe, author; Wyatt Baker, narrator)

😍 right as things grow (wit) - 74K, Zimbits - a really lovely & gentle fic about The Madison Summer Visit

😍 Being In Motion (marswithghosts) - 53K, Zimbits - another super sweet AU

plus 246K of shorter fic so shorter work shout out

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

Happy Little Accidents (seapigeon) - shrinkyclinks, 5K - mistaken identity Grindr hookup, sexytimes and then FEELINGS

Good Talk (seapigeon) - shrunkyclunks, 8K - Steve has a secret art side gig & Bucky commissions him and then FEELINGS (and sexytimes)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor series (seapigeon) - shrunkyclunks, 14K, canon-divergent post-snap – Steve retires, develops a feud with his hot neighbor and then FEELINGS (and sexytimes)

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Legends of Tomorrow - s3, e2-6

Tattoo Redo - s1, e3-6

Blown Away - s1, e1-10

Criminal Minds - s15, e5-7

Ted Lasso - s2, e5 (WATCHED THIS THREE TIMES SO FAR)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

Ologies with Alie Ward - Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD FIRE) with Amy Christianson

This is Good for You - Ep 14: Manicures Are Good For You

Word of Mouth - When people get your name wrong (with Dhruti Shah & Dr Laurel MacKenzie)

99% Invisible #455 - A Field Guide to Water

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - American Chestnut Foundation

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Forbes Pigment Collection

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Mississippi River Basin Model

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Traveling While Aging

Overinvested, Ep. 225 - Jaws

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Smooth Summer Vibes

Essential - Soul Love

‘00s Summer

Summer House

Summer Breeze: Yacht Rock Classics

2014 Summer Dance Party

Summer Time Rocks

The Summer of Love

“She’s A Rainbow” [The Rolling Stones] radio

Standing Figure of a Woman, Unknown Artist, Harvard Art Museums: Prints

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Edward W. Forbes, Class of 1895 Size: paper: H. 24.9 x W. 17.9 cm (9 13/16 x 7 1/16 in.) Medium: Ukiyo-e woodblock-printed "surimono"; Ink, slight color, metallic pigment and embossing on paper

https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/203625

6 Tips for Choosing a Latina Makeup Brand That You Can Support

Some of the best Latina-run beauty brands strive to make women feel empowered, sexy, confident, and beautiful. Today’s Latinas want makeup products designed with their skin in mind and that represents them culturally. So, when choosing a brand of Latina makeup to support, here are six things today’s mujer should consider.

Latina-Founded and Operated No one understands the diverse and dynamic community of Latinas better than Latinas themselves. Many women grew up watching their mothers, grandmothers, and older sisters tend to their beauty routines and create their signature makeup looks using defining brow paint, dark eyeliner, and richly-pigmented eyeshadows and lipsticks. Today’s iconic Latina makeup products should deliver, whether you want fierce chola makeup vibes, a glamorous Rita Moreno look, or something in-between that’s uniquely you. Products Are Versatile The best of today’s luxurious Latina makeup is often formulated for multiple purposes. For example, eyeshadows can be used wet for a higher-impact look or dry for a subtler look. Eyeshadows should also be velvety smooth and highly saturated. While one can use a high-quality brow paint on her eyebrows, the versatility of the product should also allow her to use it as a beautiful eyeliner or eyeshadow as well. Contouring kits should be able to be applied anywhere on the face, including the brow bones, cheekbones, bridge of the nose, eyelids, and even lips. Award-Winning Positive endorsements often come from customers and celebrity makeup artists, but they also come from reputable magazines and online publications. It’s an excellent sign if the brand has several award-winning products, based on honors from Latina-based publications like Hola! and Latina Magazine, for example. Press mentions are also valuable. If the makeup brand has tons of press mentions from top publications such as Forbes, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Allure, it’s a telling sign of a successful, quality brand. Social Media Presence You can get a good feel for a brand based on their social media posts. What are people saying about the makeup products on Instagram and Facebook? Scroll through the feed and find out! Do the products speak to people authentically? Read the reviews and watch the how-to videos to see for yourself. Tutorials for Inspiration You should be able to watch videos on the brand’s website and social media to see how other people are applying the products. You might be inspired to recreate those looks or learn how to apply the same makeup your way for a look that’s authentically yours. Cruelty-Free The makeup brand should proudly display their cruelty-free status. If you can’t see this claim on their products, individual product pages, and blog posts, reconsider supporting the brand. Cruelty-free cosmetics mean that the products are not tested on animals. Make sure the brand is keeping their entire collection cruelty-free, including their makeup brush sets and beauty bags. Get behind a Latina makeup brand that has carved a path in the beauty world for Latinas. As a Latina herself, Regina Merson is the founder of a fierce and glamorous Latina makeup line—Reina Rebelde—the first made specifically for Latina women. About Reina Rebelde Award-winning Latina makeup brand Reina Rebelde’s line of color products and provocative shades often offer built-in versatility. The brand carries makeup for lips, eyes, and face—in bold shades of red to neutral nudes. Reina Rebelde is inclusive for all Latinas, offering a range of brow paints, lipsticks, eyeliners, and eyeshadows, so you can create your own unique look. Get glam, go for a fierce chola makeup vibe, or choose whatever makes you feel the most authentic. Reina Rebelde, which means “rebel queen” in English, was created by Latinas for Latinas—the first brand of its kind. Reina Rebelde’s products help Latinas unapologetically and beautifully express themselves. Learn more about Reina Rebelde at Reinarebelde.com Original Source: http://bit.ly/2ZSQDqm

“The thousands of shades on display at the Forbes Pigment collection are a library of more than just color — though for their beauty alone, that would be enough. Rather, each item on display, carefully curated and preserved by a team of the world’s premier conservators, holds its own fascinating story without which the history of the world’s art would not exist.”