Hansa yellow was developed by Hoechst in Germany in 1909 — the first synthetic organic yellow with genuine lightfastness. It gave artists a clean, transparent yellow that was both permanent and affordable, replacing fugitive organic yellows.

Hansa yellow is clean and intellectual — a clear, slightly cool yellow without the heaviness of cadmium or the earthiness of ochre. It is the yellow of precision, of diagrams, of clear thinking.

Hansa yellow transformed 20th-century art supply — suddenly a clean, permanent, transparent yellow was available at low cost. It is the primary yellow in most student paint ranges. In colour mixing it produces cleaner greens than any opaque yellow, which is why it remains essential for landscape painters.