Alizarin Red

Synthetic pigment derived from madder root, classic cool deep red favored by academic painters

HEX#E32636

RGBrgb(227, 38, 54)

HSLhsl(355, 77%, 52%)

HSVhsv(355, 83%, 89%)

CMYKcmyk(0%, 83%, 76%, 11%)

HEXA#E32636FF

RGBArgba(227, 38, 54, 1)

HSLAhsla(355, 77%, 52%, 1)

OKLCHoklch(69.8%, 0.166, 14)

LCHlch(62.6%, 48.3, 14)

🎨 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

Learn More →

Aa14px Body

High Contrast Text

#FFFFFFRatio 4.6:1AA

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

Aa14px Body

Standard Text

#FEFCFARatio 4.5:1AA

Suitable for regular body content, meeting WCAG AA standards

Aa14px Body

Large Text / UI Components

#E3D326Ratio 3:1AA Large

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

Aa14px Body

Decorative / Dividers

#36E326Ratio 2.6:1Fail

Suitable for decorative elements, dividers, non-essential text

📊 Color Scales

Online Color Picker → Gradient Generator →

Lightness VariationFixed hue and saturation, proportional lightness scaling 30%→100%

#48090F

#630D14

#7E101A

#99141F

#B51725

#D01B2A

#E32636

Saturation VariationFixed hue and lightness, proportional saturation scaling 40%→100%

#AB5F65

#B4555D

#BD4C56

#C7434E

#D03945

#D9303E

#E32636

Lightness + Saturation Mixed VariationSimultaneous lightness and saturation proportional scaling

#321F21

#4A2629

#652A2F

#822B33

#A22A34

#C52633

#E32636

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

#E32665

#E32655

#E32646

#E32636

#E32626

#E33626

#E34626

💡 Use Cases

🎨

Watercolor Pigments

Essential palette shade for watercolor painters, using transparent cool deep red to render skin shadows and floral layers.

🖼️

Impressionist Reproductions

Specified pigment for copying works by Renoir and Monet, recreating 19th-century academic light and shadow techniques.

📚

Art Teaching Materials

Mandatory pigment in art school color courses, training students’ sharp perception of warm and cool red variations.

🏛️

Classical Oil Painting

Traditional color for underpainting and shadowed skin areas in oil figure painting, carrying three centuries of academic technique inheritance.

📜 Origin & History

Alizarin Red originates from alizarin pigment extracted from madder roots. Textiles dyed with madder were unearthed from Tutankhamun’s tomb, proving humans have utilized madder pigment for over three thousand years.

In 1868, German chemists Graebe and Liebermann first synthesized artificial alizarin. It marked the world’s first chemically synthesized natural dye and the birth of the synthetic dye industry.

The successful synthesis of alizarin crashed its market price, once devastating madder cultivation industries in France and Turkey. Yet it also brought this beautiful cool deep red within reach of every art academy and ordinary painter’s palette.

Late 19th-century Impressionists heavily painted with Alizarin Red. Renoir’s depictions of maidens’ skin tones and shadowed areas in Monet’s water lilies relied on Alizarin Red to render transparent cool red hues.

Though replaced by more stable synthetic pigments today, Alizarin Red remains a classic watercolor shade. The name Rose Madder persists in product lines from major global pigment brands.

🧠 Color Psychology

Calm RationalityAlizarin Red carries blue undertones that set it apart from warm reds, lending the composed scholarly temperament of restraint and reason.

Academic DemeanorEvery art student knows Alizarin Red; it symbolizes rigorous foundational skills and orthodox academic training.

Transparent & ClearAlizarin Red boasts outstanding transparency, open and pure like an innocent heart without hidden shadows.

Deep IntrospectionThis cool deep red resembles undercurrents at dusk, guiding inward exploration of deeper thoughts and emotions.

Devotion to TraditionEven as new materials emerge, Alizarin Red remains an irreplaceable classic on every painter’s palette.

Delicate SensitivitySubtle tonal shifts within Alizarin Red demand sharp eyes to distinguish, suiting thoughtful, observant souls.

← Back to Explore Colors