Alizarin Crimson

Synthetic madder colorant, a transparent cool-toned deep red, a classic of academic painting

HEX#DA2C43

RGBrgb(218, 44, 67)

HSLhsl(352, 70%, 51%)

HSVhsv(352, 80%, 85%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 80%, 69%, 15%)

HEXA#DA2C43FF

RGBArgba(218, 44, 67, 1)

HSLAhsla(352, 70%, 51%, 1)

OKLCHoklch(70.6%, 0.152, 9)

LCHlch(63.7%, 43.3, 7)

🎨 Color Palettes

Analogous2-3 adjacent hues (≤60°)

Triadic3 hues spaced 120° apart

Split ComplementaryMain color + colors adjacent to its complement

Complementary2 hues spaced 180° apart

Tetradic (Rectangle)4 hues forming a rectangle

MonochromaticSingle hue with varying saturation and lightness

♿ WCAG Contrast Colors

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Aa14px Body

High Contrast Text

#FFFFFFRatio 4.7:1AA

Suitable for body text, headings, and primary content, ensuring readability for all users

Aa14px Body

Standard Text

#FDF9F6Ratio 4.5:1AA

Suitable for regular body content, meeting WCAG AA standards

Aa14px Body

Large Text / UI Components

#E1CF56Ratio 3:1AA Large

Suitable for large text (≥18px bold or ≥24px), icons, UI component boundaries

Aa14px Body

Decorative / Dividers

#42DA2BRatio 2.6:1Fail

Suitable for decorative elements, dividers, non-essential text

📊 Color Scales

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Lightness VariationFixed hue and saturation, stepwise lightness adjustment ±30%

#5B101A

#861826

#B21F33

#DA2B42

#E15668

#E9818F

#F0ADB6

Saturation VariationFixed hue and lightness, stepwise saturation adjustment ±30%

#B4505D

#C14454

#CD374B

#DA2B42

#E61E39

#F31230

#FF0526

Lightness + Saturation Mixed VariationSimultaneous lightness and saturation adjustment

#63212A

#872633

#AE293A

#D62940

#E3455A

#EE6375

#F68493

Hue Fine-TuningFixed saturation and lightness, stepwise hue fine-tuning ±15°

#DA2B6E

#DA2B5F

#DA2B50

#DA2B42

#DA2B33

#DA302B

#DA3F2B

💡 Use Cases

🎨

Oil Paint

Alizarin crimson is a must-have color on every palette. Transparent yet intense, it's a magical tool for painting flowers and evening glows.

🖼️

Impressionist Copying

Copying Monet's and Turner's landscapes is inseparable from alizarin crimson. That touch of cool red is the core of the magic of light and shadow.

📐

Art Academy Teaching

Alizarin crimson is one of the standard colors in art school color classes, the introductory color for students learning the contrast between warm and cool reds.

🌹

Dark Red Roses

A velvet rose in alizarin crimson is more sophisticated than a standard red rose, representing deep, unexpressed love—the perfect accent in a bouquet.

📜 Origin & History

Alizarin crimson is the first artificially synthesized natural pigment. In 1868, German chemists Graebe and Liebermann synthesized alizarin, replacing the natural madder dye that had been used for thousands of years.

Synthetic alizarin was much cheaper than natural madder, quickly becoming the most important red dye of the 19th century. However, alizarin's greatest contribution was not in textiles but in painting; artists discovered its excellent optical properties.

Impressionist painters used alizarin crimson extensively. In Monet's 'Water Lilies', alizarin red formed the base of the shadows. Its transparent, cool-toned red had natural advantages for representing light effects, becoming an essential pigment for plein air painting.

J.M.W. Turner was one of the first painters to use alizarin crimson, applying it in his depictions of sunsets and flames. In Turner's 'Snow Storm', that touch of alizarin crimson is the only, and most shocking, color in the composition.

Modern art academies still mandate alizarin crimson as a required color. Every fine art student has used that tube of rose-red paint. Alizarin crimson is one of the foundational colors of academic painting.

🧠 Color Psychology

Serene and ProfoundThe cool tone of alizarin crimson makes it more introspective than warm reds. Like a deep, dark rose, it is the color of the thinker.

Artistic SoulA palette without alizarin crimson is incomplete. This tube of pigment is the enlightenment color and lifelong companion of every person who learns to paint.

Natural Light and ShadowAlizarin crimson captures the last afterglow of a sunset. It was the Impressionist painter's secret weapon for expressing the magic of light and shadow.

Delicate and KeenThe transparency of alizarin crimson requires a keen eye to perceive. Those who favor it usually possess a delicate observational ability.

Romantic and ProfoundA rose in alizarin crimson is a shade more melancholic than a pure red rose. It is a deep, unspoken romance—an intense love never put into words.

Industrial RevolutionAlizarin was the first natural pigment synthesized in a laboratory. This red witnessed the dawn of the 19th-century chemical industry transforming the world.

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