Color History: White

There’s a debate whether white is a color or not  because, white  doesn’t really have a hue therefore, being the lightest color there is many called it a shade. The white color is very symbolic in many religions and cultures, it usually represents purity, peace, freedom, innocence and illness and death in a country like China. White was one of the first colors used in art during the Paleolithic period around 18,000 years ago, some artists used calcite or chalk. “Ironically, the history of white pigments is a dark and morbid one. Lead white was one of the earliest and most reliable whites discovered, and has been in use since 400 B.C. Unfortunately, its toxicity sickened and killed scores of people, and for that reason, it is no longer manufactured in the U.S.” “Lime powder and gesso where the first whites available in prehistoric times. The most important contribution to art materials from Greece was lead white, a pigment that would become ubiquitous in Western art. Modern whites are zinc white and titanium white. Thanks to its excellent qualities, titanium white has largely replaced lead white in both art and industry.”

white / White

Is White Really a Color?
http://www.webexhibits.org/pigments/intro/whites.html#:~:text=Short%20History%20of%20White%20Pigments&text=The%20most%20important%20contribution%20to,zinc%20white%20and%20titanium%20white.