Purple Oil Paint: Pigments, Basics, and How to Pick the Right Purple

Purple, like blue, is a color of status and wealth. Worn by Roman magistrates, Byzantine and Asian Emperors, Roman Catholic bishops, and Suffragettes. It is associated with majesty and magic. However, it is rarely found as a painted pigment in old master works.

This is due to three things: a purple pigment for paint does not exist in nature; blue, at the time, was a rare and an extremely high value pigment; and purple organic dye was very expensive and very fugitive as a paint pigment. By fugitive I mean it would fade like nobody's business.

Blue pigment was more expensive than gold, therefore using blue to mix purple was a status symbol. The purples that we see in old master works were mixed from blue, such as in the works by Giotto.

Purple dye dates back to the Phoenicians, Phoenicia meaning "land of purple." The organic Tyrian Purple dye was made from a small gland of the murex sea snail. Thousands of snails would be captured or bred, then with shells removed they would 

be soaked in water until bloated and their hypobranchial gland removed. The gland produces a white liquid that when placed in the sun would change color from white to yellow-green to green to purple to blood red if left long enough. 12,000 snails would only create 1.4 g of dye. Just enough to dye the trim of a garment. While Tyrian Purple created a long lasting, dynamic dye, as a pigment it would quickly and very expensively fade.  

Now that doesn't mean purple was not used, it was just very expensive to use. Much like orange and red, purple as a pigment did not come into its own until the 19th century when at eighteen William Henry Perkin created the first synthetic purple called mauve.

Top Characteristic: Purple can be used to create deep, full shadows, and is essential for botanical and nature painting. Look for purple shadows cast off of yellow buildings and plants.

Purple is sometimes considered to be one of the least necessary paint pigments to purchase, because it is so easy to mix. However, it is important to note that some purples, such as Cobalt Violet, cannot be mixed.

Pigment Numbers (PV#): Along with the paint names, I have also included the pigment numbers. Look for these numbers to make sure you are purchasing a true purple and not a cheaper mix, as purples can sometimes come with various names.

Cobalt Violet (PV14): Considered the first real violet, Cobalt Violet is a warm, transparent purple with an extremely weak tint that cannot be mixed using other pigments.

Because Cobalt Violet is so weak you will not always find it in its pure form, but rather mixed with its cleaner and stronger cousin Manganese Violet (PV16), which gives the paint more body, but the color does change slightly. Pure Cobalt, because it is so weak, mixes poorly and becomes gray, but as a final coat or glaze it sings.

Cobalt Violet was used by artists such as Monet and Seurat.

Manganese Violet (PV 16):  A stronger violet than Cobalt, Manganese Violet is a warm, transparent purple with a muted tint.

A little redder than Cobalt, Manganese can give an artist the strength and body that Cobalt lacks. When mixed with white it creates a warm lavender tint. It is considered to be the original mauve pigment.

Quinacridone Violet (PV 19): A synthetic pigment sold under many different names, Quinacridone Violet is an extremely red, warm, transparent purple with a strong tint.

When looking for this color particularly, check the paint label for the pigment number because its names are so varied.

Dioxazine Purple: One of the more versatile purples, Dioxazine is a cold, transparent purple, with a strong tint.

Considered the strongest tinter and most transparent of any pigment, Dioxazine is so dark (the sample swatch was painted extremely thinly so you could actually see the purple color) that it can be used as a deep black. It is advised to use it sparingly because it is so strong, but when used correctly it creates lovely purples and tints. It is also the most commonly used purple.
   
How to Pick the Right Purple 

Like orange, you can hold off on purchasing a purple until you have acquired some of the more necessary paints. That being said, I love having a Dioxazine Purple to work into dark backgrounds, and purples are necessary for botanical paintings.

Both the Lilly and Chuck Norris's backgrounds were painted first with Burnt Sienna, then Pthalo Blue, and finally darkened using Dioxazine Purple. 

Remember, when you are picking which purple to paint with always consider the following characteristics: color temperature and tinting strength (opacity doesn't really come into play as most purples are transparent). For a warm purple first consider Manganese Violet (depending on the provider the name can differ, check for the pigment number PV16) and for a cool purple Dioxazine Purple. 

For more about colors and their pigment characteristics take a look at my Tips and Techniques page.

Purple used throughout Art

Below are some wonderful examples of purple in art in the following order: Giotto, Fyodor Rokotov, John William Waterhouse, Van Gogh, Klimt, and David Hockney.