10 Colors Named After Artists

Can you name a few colors named after specific artists? How did they get their names? Enjoy the backstories of some popular color shades!

The world is full of different colors, and each color name has a story behind it. Some are inspired by fruits, minerals, or geographic locations, yet the most intriguing are those named after real people. Although most people are unaware of how the particular shades came to be named or which artists and graphic designers were responsible for creating them, a number of color names have entered our lexicon and enhanced our culture. I believe many may appreciate the backstories of these important colors.

Let's explore 10 popular colors named after artists!

william-hooker-botanical-illustration

1. Hooker’s Green

Hooker's Green has a HEX code of #49796B and RGB code (73, 121, 107). It is named after William Hooker, a 19th-century botanist and illustrator who mixed a specific blend of Prussian blue and Gamboge Yellow to paint foliage. While he obviously used hundreds of shades of green for his illustrations, he firmly believed that the exact tint of green offers a perfect starting point for the color of the leaves.

International Klein Blue

2. International Klein Blue (IKB)

Yves Klein (1928-1962) was a pioneer of performance art. Both of his parents were painters, so colors naturally played a big role in his life from the very beginning. He also composed music and was the first European to receive the 4th dan rank of black belt in judo.

Music (think about one chord followed by several minutes of silence) led to his monochromatic paintings covered with a specific shade of ultramarine blue, which he also used to paint models.

He registered and patented International Klein Blue in 1960, only two years before his early death. The codes are #002FA7 (0, 47, 167).

Of course, blue comes in hundreds of variations.

3. Majorelle Blue

Jacques Majorelle (1886-1962) was a French painter. Besides being a well-known Orientalist painter, his legacy is the blue shade of the painting on his home in Marrakech, Morocco. This color is officially called Majorelle Blue, with cod

Majorelle Blue Color

The Green Stripe (Madame Matisse)

4. Matisse Green Stripe

In 1905, Henri Matisse (1869-1954) painted an oil portrait of his wife, Amelie. The painting became an iconic example of Fauvism, characterized by wild and contrasting colors. Today, this painting is known at least under three titles: The Green Stripe, Madame Matisse, or The Green Line. The green stripe dividing Mrs. Matisse's face is of a specific shade, classified as Matisse Green Stripe with HTML color code #789547 corresponding to (133, 149, 71) values in the RGB system.

The River Scene by William Payne

5. Payne’s Gray

Payne's Gray is a bluish gray shade, and it was originally a mixture of blue (Prussian Blue, coded #003153 (0, 49, 83)), yellow/ochre (coded #CC7722 (204, 119, 34)), and red (coded #960018 (150, 0, 24)) shades. Created by William Payne, an 18th-century watercolorist, it features a neutral, dark blue-gray mix, originally used as a “useful” substitute for black in shading. Some call it 'the color of English rain.' Its codes are #536878 (83, 104, 120).

A Sunday On La Grande Jatte by George...

6. Seurat Blue

Seurat Blue is a color named after Georges Seurat (1859-1891), the most influential Divisionist. He spent a lot of time experimenting with colors. For instance, he used the fact that a purple dot is perceived by the viewer, whether there's a purple dot or two smaller red and blue dots, as two neighboring dots. He also believed that two smaller dots radiate more energy. This later proved to be wrong; however, the paintings by Divisionists stand out. Georges Seurat is particularly known for a specific shade of blue. Seurat Blue is coded #739AC5 (115, 154, 197).

Assumption of the Virgin by Titian

Are you ready for an interesting mini-story about the color red?

7. Titian Red

Tiziano Vecellio (1506-1576) was an Italian Renaissance painter who was known for warm, earthy reddish, brownish, and orange tones, which, in large amounts, defined Renaissance painting. Titian Red, coded #BD5620 (189, 86, 32), became iconic in Renaissance paintings for vibrant hair color and later was widely accepted in fashion for makeup and clothing.

The Brazen Serpent by Anthony van Dyck

8. Van Dyke Brown

Van Dyke Brown is named after the Flemish Baroque painter Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641). It's a deep, cool-toned brown pigment that he used on numerous paintings. Older resources mention the very same color under names Cologne earth or Cassel earth. It is used in oil paintings and watercolors. It was widely used, especially for creating shadows and achieving a visual effect of depth, at least a century before Van Dyke was born. Its codes are #44362F (68, 54, 47).

Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh

9. Van Gogh Yellow

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) is one of the most important painters in history. While he didn't achieve commercial success during his life, several of his paintings are known for bright yellow tones, and some of the yellow shades are informally named after Van Gogh.

Here are a few examples of this vibrant color:

Van Gogh Yellow examples with HEX and...

Finally, our list concludes with Veronese Green.

10. Veronese Green

Veronese Green is a bluish-green shade associated with the 16th-century Venetian painter Paolo Veronese (1528-1588). It's based on copper pigment, which was quite unstable; however, a synthetic alternative is available today. It's interesting to note that it became truly popular only in the 19th century when its effects became more durable and predictable. It is coded #00A671 (0, 166, 113).