What was the first paint colour?

By Kit Chapman2026-04-15T06:10:00

A paintbrush and tins of colourful paints

Source: © AtlasStudio/Shutterstock

Uncover the colourful (and deadly) chemistry of paint, from the Stone Age to today

Humans have been painting since prehistory: early artists would smear pigments from rocks mixed with animals fat onto cave walls. But who made the first synthetic paint, and how? Read this article to discover the ingenious chemistry that lies underneath paint, from 3250BC to now.

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