The creation of three shades of blue hues — Prussian, cobalt and ultramarine — in 18th and 19th century European art, spanning from the Rococo period to Impressionism, is the subject of a colorful exhibition at the Norton Simon Museum, "A Revolution of the Palette: The First Synthetic Blues and Their Impact on French Artists."
"Previously, there were a limited number of options for oil painting," noted conservator and curator John Griswold. "Common indigo blue pigment did not stand up in oil, often turning to mushy gray."
The first breakthrough, dark blue Prussian, was the result of a laboratory accident around 1704.