Burnt Umber | Matisse Studio acrylic paint

Burnt Umber | Matisse Studio acrylic paint

Burnt Umber, a staple in artists' palettes, emerged in Italy during the Renaissance and had become a standardized hue by Leonardo da Vinci’s time. Interestingly, Cennino Cennini’s 1437 studio manual only references red and yellow earths, with no mention of Burnt Umber or Burnt Sienna. Yet, within half a century, these pigments became indispensable to artists. While Raw Umber is widely found across the globe, its burnt variation was likely first developed in Italy, inspired by the heating process used to create Burnt Sienna. Raw Sienna, rarer than Raw Umber, was primarily sourced from Siena, Italy, where pigment makers discovered that firing it in kilns transformed it into the warm, luminous Burnt Sienna. Naturally, this led to experimentation with Raw Umber, revealing that roasting it produced a richer, warmer brown, far more effective for depicting shadows in figures and portraits.

Even in today’s era of vast pigment options, Burnt Umber remains essential, evolving in response to modern demands for varied shades. Matisse’s Burnt Umber, for instance, is a deep, warm chocolate brown. Its versatility extends beyond portraits—it darkens colours effectively, creates deep earthy greens with Phthalo Green, and forms rich burgundy hues when mixed with cool reds like Primary Red or Matisse Rose Madder. For hair painting, it’s indispensable, lending depth to shadows in blondes and enhancing the darkness of black hair when combined with Ultramarine Blue. Mixed with Phthalo Green, it even eliminates the need for black paint, making it an artist’s go-to for creating deep, nuanced shadows.

Safety Data Sheet for Matisse STUDIO Burnt Umber (SDS)

To view or download a copy SDS, please  CLICK HERE * (271kb)  
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