Red chalk

This article is about the drawing material. For the geological formation formerly known as "Red Chalk", see Hunstanton Formation.

Red chalk is chalk of a reddish-brown color, which was used as a material for drawing. It is obtained from the red ochre variety of hematite.^[1][2] Another term for red chalk, common in older references,^[1] is sanguine (/ˈsæŋɡwɪn/). The word comes via French from the Italian sanguigna and is originally from the Latin "sanguis"; it refers to the color's similarity to that of dried blood.^{[citation needed]}

Rembrandt, Self-portrait in red chalk, c. 1637. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Red chalk was used by the ancient Egyptians and ancient Romans for wall painting.^[2] By the 16th century deposits were known in Italy, Spain, Flanders, France, and Germany,^[1] and the material became a popular medium for drawing.^[2] Leonardo da Vinci, in the late 15th century, was the first major artist to work in the medium.^[2]

Technique

Red chalk lends itself naturally to sketches, life drawings, and rustic scenes.^{[citation needed]} It is ideal for rendering modeling and volume, and human flesh.^{[citation needed]} In the form of wood-cased pencils and manufactured sticks, it may be used similarly to charcoal and pastel. As with pastel, a mid-toned paper may be put to good use. A fixative may be applied to preserve the finished state of the drawing. The pigment used in red chalk sticks comes from red earths such as red ochre.^[3] Sanguines are also available in several other tones such as orange, tan, brown, beige.

Gallery

• 
  Leonardo da Vinci, Supposed self-portrait in red chalk, c. 1512
• 
  Mademoiselle de Mondran, Study after a Roman bust, 1786; relatively unusual in fully coloring the background

See also

• Conté
• Trois crayons