Parallel Worlds

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Science Notes 

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Red is often associated with powerful feelings like love, passion and anger. It is seen as the core of fire, heat, and blood. Over centuries, different pigments of red have embodied those feelings and symbols, like vermillion and cadmium red, these in a long succession of dyes.

Vermilion was originally made by powdering cinnabar, a bright scarlet to brick-red form of mercury sulphide mineral. Methods for its extraction and knowledge of its toxicity go back as early as around 350 BCE. The cause of poisoning associated with vermillion is mercury, because its primary mechanism of toxicity involves the complete shutdown of proteins responsible for the natural recycling of vitamins C and E to their active forms. Those vitamins are part of a defence system against a type of damage that involves toxic forms of oxygen. Since oxygen consumption is high in the brain, any damage to the natural balance related to it can cause brain cell dysfunctions and ultimately death. Concerning the brain, damage of this kind is linked to ADHD, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, autism, and depression.

In the early 20th century, vermillion was replaced by a family of colours derived from a silvery-white metal discovered in 1817, called cadmium. Cadmium produces pigments resistant to fading that go from yellow to dark reds. Although examples of its use have been seen in Monet’s paintings since 1880, it only became commercially available in 1919.

While cadmium vapours or powdered forms of the pigment are toxic to humans and other animals in minimal amounts, they are safe to use by adults when bound by oils or acrylics. The use of chalk pastels containing cadmium colours is among the highest risks for artists, as these pastels create dust that can be inhaled. Despite safer methods for its use, the pigment still faces debate because of the potential risks related to accidental cadmium consumption and the environmental impacts of washing unused paints down the drain, which could be absorbed by crops for consumption.

Halberdier, by Ferdinand Hodler was completed during the transition period between vermilion and cadmium red. We have chosen to present this painting so we could talk about both pigments.

(Art Notes Follow)

Art Notes 

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He holds himself proudly, both hands holding his halberd pointing towards the sky. Impassive, he waits, scanning the horizon, legs firmly stretched out. His velvet toque draws a serrated halo around his aquiline profile. The man wears a pourpoint with slashed sleeves; the collar is open on his naked chest. The puffy breeches, fitted stockings and bear feet shoes enable him to comfortably brandish his weapon. In spite of the 16th century attire, this warrior on watch is strangely stylized, almost modern in the simplicity of the silhouette. He is clearly outlined on a light background, whose grey shades are barely sketched out. The observer can discern far away mountains, a ravine, and barren ground. Who is this man?

The Swiss halberdiers were mercenaries renowned for their bravery in combat, their loyalty and noble spirit. Our character is part of a formidable company, comprising 13 halberdiers, 7 warriors, 5 artisans and a shepherd. Hodler paints them for a special command of 26 paintings forming a set of monumental figures of 2.3 meters each. This guard of honour will decorate the columns of the facade of the Palace of Fine Arts in Geneva, for a grandiose exhibition of Swiss national art. Each character is carefully designed to be clearly visible from a distance, made possible by the sharp contrast and the linear simplicity of their attitude. But, just before the opening, the central committee of the exhibition refuses 8 of the figures and requires modifications to 7 others. The artist is infuriated, the press rises to defend the artist while the public opinion is polarized and cries of outrage.

Even if he excels in historical painting, Hodler is mostly known for the symbolism of his characters. Here, the painter uses colour and stylized shape to add a symbolic dimension to the halberdier. It is the violent red of warriors who face death in battle. It is the red that hides blood stains, his own or that of the enemy, the red of executioners, of justice and of the nobles. The scarlet hue of the uniform enhances the man's presence. At 43, Hodler is no stranger to misery, blood and death: his family and a number of his friends were decimated by tuberculosis. Despite the turmoil of the unveiling of Hodler's lansquenets, the fact remains that this set of figures marked an awakening of the patriotic feeling of the Swiss people, who will see them as a monumental emblem of national pride.

Notes Scientifiques

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Le rouge est souvent associé à des sentiments puissants comme l'amour, la passion et la colère. Il est considéré comme le noyau du feu, de la chaleur et du sang. Au fil des siècles, différents pigments de rouge ont incarné ces sentiments et ces symboles, comme le vermillon et le rouge de cadmium, ceux-ci dans une longue succession de teintures.

À l'origine, le vermillon était fabriqué à partir de la poudre de cinabre, une forme de sulfure de mercure d'un rouge écarlate à rouge brique. Les méthodes d'extraction et la connaissance de sa toxicité remontent à environ 350 avant notre ère. La cause de l'empoisonnement associé au vermillon est le mercure, car son principal mécanisme de toxicité implique l'arrêt complet des protéines responsables du recyclage naturel des vitamines C et E en leurs formes actives. Ces vitamines font partie d'un système de défense contre un type de dommage qui implique des formes toxiques d'oxygène. La consommation d'oxygène étant élevée dans le cerveau, toute atteinte à l'équilibre naturel qui lui est lié peut entraîner des dysfonctionnements des cellules cérébrales et finalement la mort. En ce qui concerne le cerveau, ce type de dommage est lié au TDAH, à la maladie de Parkinson, à la maladie d'Alzheimer, à l'autisme et à la dépression.

Au début du XXe siècle, le vermillon a été remplacé par une famille de couleurs dérivées d'un métal blanc argenté découvert en 1817, appelé cadmium. Le cadmium produit des pigments résistants à la décoloration qui vont du jaune au rouge foncé. Bien que l'on trouve des exemples de son utilisation dans les tableaux de Monet depuis 1880, il n'a été commercialisé qu'en 1919.

Si les vapeurs de cadmium ou les formes en poudre du pigment sont toxiques pour les humains et les autres animaux en quantités minimes, les adultes peuvent les utiliser sans danger lorsqu'ils sont liés par des huiles ou des acryliques. L'utilisation de pastels à la craie contenant des couleurs au cadmium fait partie des risques les plus élevés pour les artistes, car ces pastels créent de la poussière qui peut être inhalée. Malgré des méthodes d'utilisation plus sûres, ce pigment fait toujours l'objet de débats en raison des risques potentiels liés à une consommation accidentelle de cadmium et des incidences environnementales du lavage des peintures inutilisées dans les égouts, qui pourraient être absorbées par les cultures destinées à la consommation.

Halleberdier, de Ferdinand Hodler, a été réalisé pendant la période de transition entre le vermillon et le rouge cadmium. Nous avons choisi de présenter cette peinture pour pouvoir parler des deux pigments.

(Les Notes d'Art Suivent)