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Questions and Answers
What was the predominant medium for painters before the eighteenth century?
What was the predominant medium for painters before the eighteenth century?
What limited artists in their choice of colorants for oil paint before the eighteenth century?
What limited artists in their choice of colorants for oil paint before the eighteenth century?
When was Prussian blue first recognized as an artistic pigment?
When was Prussian blue first recognized as an artistic pigment?
What distinguished fine blues that were chemically stable?
What distinguished fine blues that were chemically stable?
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What was the origin of the name 'Prussian blue'?
What was the origin of the name 'Prussian blue'?
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What was the significance of the accidental discovery of Prussian blue in 1704?
What was the significance of the accidental discovery of Prussian blue in 1704?
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What distinguished Prussian blue from most colorants used in oil paint before the eighteenth century?
What distinguished Prussian blue from most colorants used in oil paint before the eighteenth century?
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What impact did the adoption of canvas as the predominant medium for painters have on Western art history?
What impact did the adoption of canvas as the predominant medium for painters have on Western art history?
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What was the primary limitation for artists in their choice of colorants for oil paint before the eighteenth century?
What was the primary limitation for artists in their choice of colorants for oil paint before the eighteenth century?
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What factor made fine blues chemically stable colorants a luxury item for painters for hundreds of years?
What factor made fine blues chemically stable colorants a luxury item for painters for hundreds of years?
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What idea did Adam Smith illustrate using the example of pin manufacturing?
What idea did Adam Smith illustrate using the example of pin manufacturing?
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What inspired Charles Babbage to become interested in automating mathematical calculations?
What inspired Charles Babbage to become interested in automating mathematical calculations?
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What did Charles Babbage aim to automate?
What did Charles Babbage aim to automate?
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What led to the workers needing to become more efficient and specialized in Great Britain?
What led to the workers needing to become more efficient and specialized in Great Britain?
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What did Adam Smith emphasize in relation to pin manufacturing?
What did Adam Smith emphasize in relation to pin manufacturing?
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What did the advent of the Industrial Revolution and increased population growth result in?
What did the advent of the Industrial Revolution and increased population growth result in?
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What process did Gaspard de Prony use to produce logarithmic tables?
What process did Gaspard de Prony use to produce logarithmic tables?
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What did Charles Babbage believe could be automated, similar to de Prony's work?
What did Charles Babbage believe could be automated, similar to de Prony's work?
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What did Babbage propose to use instead of human labor to perform calculations for the navigational tables?
What did Babbage propose to use instead of human labor to perform calculations for the navigational tables?
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What did Babbage believe his machine could do faster and more accurately than human labor?
What did Babbage believe his machine could do faster and more accurately than human labor?
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What did Babbage name his machine after?
What did Babbage name his machine after?
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What did Babbage argue that his machine would help avoid?
What did Babbage argue that his machine would help avoid?
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What was the primary obstacle faced by Babbage in building the Difference Engine?
What was the primary obstacle faced by Babbage in building the Difference Engine?
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When did Babbage produce a small-scale prototype of the Difference Engine?
When did Babbage produce a small-scale prototype of the Difference Engine?
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What did Babbage's small-scale prototype lack the ability to do?
What did Babbage's small-scale prototype lack the ability to do?
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What was Babbage already thinking about by the time he produced the small-scale prototype?
What was Babbage already thinking about by the time he produced the small-scale prototype?
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What inspired Charles Babbage to become interested in automating mathematical calculations?
What inspired Charles Babbage to become interested in automating mathematical calculations?
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What did Adam Smith emphasize in relation to pin manufacturing?
What did Adam Smith emphasize in relation to pin manufacturing?
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What was the primary limitation for artists in their choice of colorants for oil paint before the eighteenth century?
What was the primary limitation for artists in their choice of colorants for oil paint before the eighteenth century?
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What distinguished Prussian blue from most colorants used in oil paint before the eighteenth century?
What distinguished Prussian blue from most colorants used in oil paint before the eighteenth century?
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What led to the workers needing to become more efficient and specialized in Great Britain?
What led to the workers needing to become more efficient and specialized in Great Britain?
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What did Babbage aim to automate?
What did Babbage aim to automate?
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What was the primary obstacle faced by Babbage in building the Difference Engine?
What was the primary obstacle faced by Babbage in building the Difference Engine?
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What did Babbage propose to use instead of human labor to perform calculations for the navigational tables?
What did Babbage propose to use instead of human labor to perform calculations for the navigational tables?
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What did Babbage's small-scale prototype lack the ability to do?
What did Babbage's small-scale prototype lack the ability to do?
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What distinguished Prussian blue from most colorants used in oil paint before the eighteenth century?
What distinguished Prussian blue from most colorants used in oil paint before the eighteenth century?
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What did Charles Babbage aim to automate?
What did Charles Babbage aim to automate?
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What was the significance of the accidental discovery of Prussian blue in 1704?
What was the significance of the accidental discovery of Prussian blue in 1704?
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What did Babbage believe his machine could do faster and more accurately than human labor?
What did Babbage believe his machine could do faster and more accurately than human labor?
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What did Adam Smith emphasize in relation to worker specialization?
What did Adam Smith emphasize in relation to worker specialization?
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What process did Gaspard de Prony use to produce logarithmic tables?
What process did Gaspard de Prony use to produce logarithmic tables?
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When was Prussian blue first recognized as an artistic pigment?
When was Prussian blue first recognized as an artistic pigment?
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Study Notes
Prussian Blue and Oil Painting
- Oil paint was primarily used by artists before the eighteenth century, with limited colorant options.
- Artists faced restrictions in color choice due to toxic and unstable pigments dominating the palette.
- Prussian blue emerged as an artistic pigment in 1704 and represented a breakthrough in color additives.
- Fine blues distinguished by chemical stability were invaluable for creating durable artworks.
- The term 'Prussian blue' originated from its association with the Kingdom of Prussia where the pigment was first developed.
- The accidental discovery of Prussian blue was significant as it offered a stable blue alternative and revolutionized color use in painting.
- Unlike most earlier colorants, Prussian blue offered vibrant pigmentation without fading over time.
- The shift to canvas as the main medium for painters allowed for easier transport and experimentation, impacting Western art history significantly.
Impact of Industrial Revolution and Innovations
- Before the eighteenth century, artists' reliance on colorants was constrained by availability and cost.
- The need for efficiency arose in Great Britain due to industrial demands, necessitating worker specialization.
- Adam Smith highlighted the importance of specialization in pin manufacturing, leading to greater productivity.
- Gaspard de Prony utilized systematic methods to produce logarithmic tables, paving the way for automated calculations.
- Charles Babbage, inspired by de Prony, aspired to automate mathematical calculations for navigational tables.
- Babbage's goal was to replace slower human efforts with mechanical precision.
- He proposed a Difference Engine to calculate tables faster and with greater accuracy, seeking to reduce human error.
Babbage's Difference Engine
- The primary challenge in creating the Difference Engine was the complexity of its mechanical design.
- Babbage created a small-scale prototype of the Difference Engine, but it lacked the full functionality of his envisioned machine.
- His focus on automating calculations revealed an early vision of computational technologies that would develop over time.
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Description
Test your knowledge of art history with this quiz on Prussian Blue, the first modern pigment. Learn about the innovation of oil paint and the adoption of canvas as the predominant medium for painters in Western art history. Explore the impact of the Enlightenment and the advent of chemistry on the colorants used in oil paint.
