Derivan Matisse Fluid Acrylic: Cadmium Red Medium 135ml

• Chemical Description: Cadmium sulphoselenide

• Pigment Number: PR108

• Lightfastness Rating: ASTM I

• Pigment Opacity: Opaque

• Paint Opacity: Opaque

• Series 4

When Cadmium Red was introduced in 1919, vermilion had been the favorite of artists for hundreds of years. It was generally permanent if good quality and was considered the perfect red for making flesh tints in portraits and figures. Red earth colors were the only reds that could match its lightfastness but it did suffer from 3 great flaws. If the pigment was of poor quality it could turn black over time. It was rare but it happened. More importantly it couldn’t be used in watercolors reliably and couldn’t be used in pastels at all. Most important of all is that it was pure mercuric sulfide. It was a very poisonous pigment dangerous for workers to make and potentially dangerous for artists to use. Cuts in the skin and ingesting the pigment by eating in the studio or by smoking while painting meant that vermilion usage was very unwise.