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Viridian
#40826D · click to copy
Cool
HEX
#40826D
RGB
64, 130, 109
CMYK
51%, 0%, 16%, 49%
Pigment
PG18
Lightfastness
Excellent (I) — one of the most permanent green pigments
Moods & Keywords
green
cool
deep
water
ocean
mysterious
impressionist
chromium
Impressionist
transparent
cool
green
chromium
Impressionist
transparent
cool
green
Pigment & Material
PG18
Synthetic
Hydrated chromium oxide (Cr₂O₃·2H₂O). More transparent and bluer than regular chromium oxide green.
Origin & History
Viridian was developed by French chemist Pannetier in 1838 and commercialised in the 1860s. Its introduction gave Impressionist painters their first truly permanent, transparent green — previous transparent greens (emerald green, copper-based) were either toxic or fugitive. The Impressionists adopted it immediately for its ability to mix clean, luminous greens.
Also Known As
Viridian Green
Chrome Oxide Green Hydrated
Guignet's Green
Vert Viridien
Psychology
Cool, deep, and meditative. Viridian is the green of deep forest shade — it lacks the vibrancy of emerald but has greater depth and complexity. Used in shadows, it creates a sense of cool mystery. Associated with northern European forests, submarine light, and the green of deep water.
In Culture
Viridian became the workhorse green of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. Cézanne's characteristic blue-green shadows are largely viridian mixed with ultramarine. The colour is so associated with 19th-20th century European painting that it has become part of the visual vocabulary of "fine art green."
Natural Sources
No natural equivalent — viridian (hydrated chromium oxide, Cr₂O₃·2H₂O) is a purely synthetic pigment. Regular chromium oxide green (PG17) is the anhydrous version — darker and more opaque. Viridian's transparency distinguishes it from all other greens.
Making It Yourself
Viridian is synthesised industrially — not available for home production.
As a palette colour: its unique transparency makes it invaluable for glazing.
Mix with cadmium yellow for warm transparent greens.
Mix with ultramarine for deep transparent blue-greens.
Mix with white: produces the distinctive grey-green of shadows in cool light.
As a palette colour: its unique transparency makes it invaluable for glazing.
Mix with cadmium yellow for warm transparent greens.
Mix with ultramarine for deep transparent blue-greens.
Mix with white: produces the distinctive grey-green of shadows in cool light.
Art Movements
Impressionism
Post-Impressionism
Plein Air Painting
Famous Works
Monet
Water Lilies (essential to his palette)
Cézanne
landscape shadows and foliage
Sargent
foliage in watercolours
Available As
Winsor & Newton — Viridian (PG18)
Daniel Smith — Viridian (PG18)
Golden — Viridian (PG18)
M. Graham — Viridian
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Colour data compiled with AI. Spot an error or have more to add? Leave a Note — ekphra reviews and updates.
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