The Permanency of Artists’ Paints: Comments on Levison’s Report

Many new organic pigments are being used in paints for various commercial purposes. A rather large number of the pigments representing a wide range of hues and relatively high chromas possess good permanency. Of these many are of definite interest to artists and, indeed, some are being employed in artists’ paints. The author discusses the permanency of artists’ paints with emphasis on the aspect of lightfastness. His comments center primarily on H. W. Levison’s report of his recent investigation on the lightfastness of test oil paints and test acrylic emulsion paints involving about 100 pigments, most of current or potential interest to artists. Levison’s test procedure for the evaluation of color change as an indicator of the lightfastness of paints is outlined and his method for rating them for acceptability is described.

Levison has led a long crusade for the use of acceptably permanent pigments in artists’ paints and for the ethical labeling of paint containers in disclosing the pigments present. Agoston emphasizes that artists should also be given precise information on the polymers and paint additives employed and the minimum temperature at which polymer emulsion paints may be used. He points to the need for an appraisal both of the yellowing resistance of pigmented (white) acrylic emulsion paints and of the effects of the various additives on their permanency.