View source for Umber

{{short description|Earth pigment}}
{{other uses}}
{{infobox color
| title=Umber
| hex=635147 
| source=ColorHexa<ref>{{cite web |title=Umber / #635147 hex color |url=https://www.colorhexa.com/635147 |website=ColorHexa |access-date=2021-11-12}}</ref>}}
[[File:Jules_Bastien-Lepage_-_Pas_Mèche_(Nothing_Doing)_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Jules Bastien-Lepage]], Pas Meche, 1882. An example of the shadows created by using umber in a painting.<ref name="Lesso-2020">{{cite web |last=Lesso|first=Rosie |date=2020-05-12 |title=The Mysterious Shadows of Umber – the thread |url=https://blog.fabrics-store.com/2020/05/12/the-mysterious-shadows-of-umber/ |access-date=2023-04-16 |language=en-US}}</ref>]]

'''Umber''' is a natural [[earth pigment]] consisting of [[iron oxide]] and [[manganese oxide]]; it has a [[brown]]ish color that can vary among [[shades of yellow]], red, and green.<ref name="Helwig-2007" />{{Rp|page=39}} Umber is considered one of the oldest pigments known to humans, first used in the [[Ajanta Caves]] from 200&nbsp;BC to 600&nbsp;AD.<ref name="Eastaugh-2007">{{cite book |last1=Eastaugh |first1=Nicholas |last2=Walsh |first2=Valentine |last3=Chaplin |first3=Tracey |last4=Siddall |first4=Ruth |date=2007-03-30 |title=Pigment Compendium: A Dictionary of Historical Pigments |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780080473765 |doi=10.4324/9780080473765|isbn=9781136373862 }}</ref>{{Rp|page=378}} Umber's advantages are its highly versatile color, warm tone, and quick drying abilities.<ref name="Harley-2001">{{Cite book |last=Harley |first=R. D. (Rosamond Drusilla) |url=http://archive.org/details/artistspigmentsc0000harl |title=Artists' pigments c.1600–1835 : a study in English documentary sources |date=2001 |publisher=London : Archetype Publications |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-1-873132-91-3}}</ref>{{Rp|pages=148–49}} While some sources indicate that umber's name comes from its geographic origin in [[Umbria]], other scholars suggest that it derives from the Latin word ''umbra'', which means "shadow".<ref name="Clair-2017">{{Cite book |last=Clair |first=Kassia St |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0gUEDgAAQBAJ&dq=secret+lives+of+color&pg=PP1 |title=The Secret Lives of Color |date=2017-10-24 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-5247-0494-0 |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=250}} The belief that its name derives from the word for shadow is fitting, as the color helps create shadows.<ref name="Clair-2017" />{{Rp|page=250}} The color is primarily produced in [[Cyprus]].<ref name="Clair-2017" />{{Rp|page=250}} Umber is typically mined from [[Open-pit mining|open pits]] or [[Mining|underground mines]] and ground into a fine powder that is washed to remove impurities.<ref name="webexhibits">{{Cite web |title=Pigments through the Ages – Overview – Umber |url=https://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/indiv/overview/umber.html |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.webexhibits.org}}</ref> In the 20th century, the rise of synthetic dyes decreased the demand for natural pigments such as umber.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

==History==
The earliest documented uses of umber date from between 200 BC and 600 AD in the [[Ajanta Caves]] found in India.<ref name="Eastaugh-2007" /> [[Ochre|Ocher]], a family of earth pigments which includes umber, has been identified in the caves of [[Cave of Altamira|Altamira]] in [[Spain]] and the [[Lascaux Cave]] in [[France]].<ref name="Clair-2017" />{{Rp|page=251}} Some sources indicate that umber was not frequently used in medieval art because of its emphasis on bright and vivid colors.<ref name="Gettens-1966">{{Cite book |last=Gettens |first=Rutherford J. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/518445 |title=Painting materials : a short encyclopaedia |date=1966 |publisher=Dover Publications |others=George L. Stout |isbn=0-486-21597-0 |location=New York |oclc=518445}}</ref>{{Rp|page=166}} Other sources indicate, however, that umber was used in the Middle Ages to create different shades of brown, most often seen for skin tones.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Medieval manuscripts blog: Science |url=https://blogs.bl.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/science/page/5/ |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=blogs.bl.uk}}</ref> Umber's use in Europe increased in the late 15th century.<ref name="Gettens-1966" />{{Rp|page=168}} Umber became more popular during the [[Renaissance]] when its versatility, earthy appearance, availability, and inexpensiveness were recognized.<ref name="Clair-2017" />{{Rp|page=251}}
[[File:Lascaux_II.jpg|thumb|Reproduction of ''[[Lascaux]]'' cave paintings, which are around 17,000 years old.<ref name="Lesso-2020" />|243x243px]]
Umber gained widespread popularity in Dutch landscape painting in the eighteenth century.<ref name="Eastaugh-2007" />{{Rp|page=378}} Artists recognized the value of umber's high stability, inertness, and drying abilities.<ref name="Harley-2001" />{{Rp|pages=148–49}} It became a standard color within eighteenth-century palettes throughout Europe.<ref name="Eastaugh-2007" />{{Rp|page=378}} Umber's popularity grew during the [[Baroque Period|Baroque period]] with the rise of the [[chiaroscuro]] style.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} Umber allowed painters to create an intense light and dark contrast.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} [[Underpainting]] was another popular technique for painting that used umber as a base color.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-02 |title=Underpainting advice |url=https://www.pototschnik.com/under-painting-advice/ |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=John Pototschnik Fine Art}}</ref> Umber was valuable in deploying this technique, creating a range of earth like tones with various layering of color.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

Toward the end of the 19th century, the [[Impressionist movement]] started to use cheaper and more readily available [[synthetic dyes]] and reject [[natural pigment]]s like umber to create mixed hues of brown.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} The [[Impressionism|Impressionists]] chose to make their own browns from mixtures of red, yellow, green, blue and other pigments, particularly the new synthetic pigments such as [[cobalt blue]] and [[Shades of green|emerald green]] that had just been introduced.<ref name="Clair-2017" /> In the 20th century, natural umber pigments began to be replaced by pigments made with synthetic [[iron oxide]] and [[manganese oxide]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

== Criticism ==
Beginning in the 17th century, umber was increasingly criticized within the art community. British painter Edward Norgate, prominent with British royalty and aristocracy, called umber "a foul and greasy color."<ref name="Helwig-2007">{{Cite book |last=Helwig |first=Kate |url= |title=Artists' pigments : a handbook of their history and characteristics |publisher=National Gallery of Art |year=2007 |isbn= |volume=4 |location=Washington |pages=39–109 |chapter=Iron Oxides |oclc=12804059}}</ref>{{Rp|page=56}} In the 18th century, Spanish painter [[Antonio Palomino]] called umber "very false."<ref name="Helwig-2007" />{{Rp|page=56}} [[Jan Blockx]], a Belgian painter, opined, "umber should not appear on the palette of the conscientious painter."<ref name="Helwig-2007" />{{Rp|page=56}}

== Visual properties ==
Umber is a natural brown pigment extracted from [[clay]] containing [[iron]], [[manganese]], and [[hydroxide]]s.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Shorter Oxford English dictionary on historical principles. |date=2002 |publisher=Oxford University Press |editor=Lesley Brown |isbn=0-19-860575-7 |edition=5th |location=Oxford |oclc=50017616}}</ref> Umber has diverse hues, ranging from yellow-brown to reddish-brown and even green-brown. The color shade varies depending on the proportions of the components. When heated, umber becomes a more intense color and can look almost black. Burnt umber is produced by calcining the raw version.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} The raw form of umber is typically used for [[ceramic]]s because it is less expensive.<ref name="Raw Umber">{{Cite web |title=Raw Umber |url=https://digitalfire.com/material/raw+umber}}</ref>

These warm and earthy tones make it a valuable and versatile pigment for [[oil painting]] and other artwork.<ref name="Raw Umber" /> Umber's high opacity and reactivity of light allow the pigment to have strong [[hiding power]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Umber – CAMEO |url=https://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Umber |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=cameo.mfa.org |language=en}}</ref> It is insoluble in [[water]], resistant to [[alkali]]s and weak acids, and non-reactive with [[cement]], [[solvent]]s, [[oil]]s, and most [[resin]]s.<ref name="Raw Umber" /> Umber is known for its stability.<ref name="Harley-2001" />{{Rp|page=149}}
{{gallery
|title = Pigment samples
|align = center
|File:LimoniteUSGOV.jpg|[[Limonite]], or hydrated iron oxide, is the basic ingredient of the earth pigments ochre, sienna and umber. 
|File:ManganeseOreUSGOV.jpg|The presence of a large amount of manganese makes umber earth colors darker than ochre or sienna. 
|File:Terra ombra naturale umber.jpg|The pigment known as raw umber or natural umber came originally from Umbria, in Italy. 
|File:Terra ombra naturale.JPG|Another sample of natural umber pigment. 
}}

== Notable occurrences ==
[[File:Mona_Lisa,_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci,_from_C2RMF_retouched.jpg|thumb|314x314px|[[Leonardo da Vinci]], [[Mona Lisa]], Early 16th century. A laboratory analysis has revealed the presence of umber.<ref name="Foundation-2012">{{Cite web |last=Foundation |first=Mona Lisa |date=2012-09-08 |title=Analysis of the Materials used in the 'Earlier Mona Lisa' |url=https://monalisa.org/2012/09/08/leonardos-materials-the-canvas-the-paint/ |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=The Mona Lisa Foundation |language=en-US}}</ref>]]
Umber became widely used throughout the [[Renaissance|Renaissance period]] for oil paintings.<ref name="naturalpigments">{{Cite web |last=O'Hanlon|first=George|title=Umber: The Historical And Versatile Earth Pigment - Its Uses, Properties, And Sustainability |url=https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/umber-exploring-natural-brown-earth-pigment |date=March 12, 2023|access-date=2023-04-15 |website=www.naturalpigments.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414225619/https://www.naturalpigments.com/artist-materials/umber-exploring-natural-brown-earth-pigment|archive-date=April 14, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In the [[Mona Lisa]], [[Leonardo da Vinci]] used umber for the brown tones throughout his subject's hair and clothing.<ref name="Foundation-2012" /> [[Leonardo da Vinci|Da Vinci]] also extensively used umber in his painting the [[Last Supper]] to create shadows and outlines of the figures.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-12 |title=What is actually depicted on The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci? |url=https://arthive.com/publications/2590~What_is_actually_depicted_on_The_Last_Supper_by_Leonardo_da_Vinci |access-date=2023-04-15 |website=Arthive}}</ref> Throughout the [[Baroque painting|Baroque]] period, many renowned painters used umber.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}

{{gallery
|title = Use in art
|align = center
|File:Caravaggioapollo.jpg|The Italian baroque painter [[Caravaggio]] used umber to create the darkness in his [[chiaroscuro]] ("light-dark") style of painting.
|File:Johannes Vermeer - Het melkmeisje - Google Art Project.jpg|The ''milkmaid'', by [[Johannes Vermeer]] (1650). Vermeer used umber for the shadows on the whitewashed walls, since they were warmer than those made with black.
|File:Rembrandt van Rijn - Self-Portrait - Google Art Project.jpg|Self portrait by [[Rembrandt]] van Rijn (1659). Rembrandt used umbers to create his rich and complex browns, as a ground, and to speed the drying of his paintings.
}}

==Varieties==

===Raw umber===
{{infobox color
 |title=Raw Umber
 |hex=826644
 |source={{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20121122220208/http://tx4.us/nbs/nbs-r.htm ISCC-NBS]}}
 |isccname=Moderate yellowish brown}}
This is the color '''raw umber'''.

{{Clear}}

===Burnt umber===
{{infobox color
 |title=Burnt umber
 |hex=8A3324
 |source=[http://xona.com/colorlist/ Xona.com Color List]
 |isccname=Strong reddish brown}}

'''Burnt umber''' is made by heating raw umber, which dehydrates the iron oxides and changes them partially to the more reddish [[hematite]]. It is used for both oil and water color paint.<ref name="StClair">{{Cite book|title=The Secret Lives of Colour|last=St. Clair|first=Kassia|publisher=John Murray|year=2016|isbn=9781473630819|location=London|pages=250–252|oclc=936144129}}</ref>

The first recorded use of ''burnt umber'' as a color name in [[English language|English]] was in 1650.<ref>Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York:1930 McGraw-Hill Page 191; Color Sample of Burnt Umber: Page 53 Plate 15 Color Sample A12</ref>
{{Clear}}

==See also==
* [[Lists of colors]]
* [[List of inorganic pigments]]

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*{{cite web |url=http://www.essentialvermeer.com/palette/palette_umber.html |title=Raw Umber |publisher=Essential Vermeer}} — Discussion of umber and its use by Vermeer and other painters.

{{Shades of brown}}
{{Manganese minerals}}

[[Category:Shades of brown]]
[[Category:Iron oxide pigments]]
[[Category:Iron minerals]]
[[Category:Manganese minerals]]
[[Category:Oxide minerals]]