Quinacridone
Plural: Quinacridones
Quinacridone definition
Quinacridone is a family of bright, transparent red, rose, magenta, and violet pigments that produce vibrant color mixtures and resist fading over time.
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Quinacridone is a synthetic organic pigment family first introduced for artists’ paints in the 1950s. Quinacridone pigments are prized for their intense chroma, excellent transparency, high tinting strength, and exceptional resistance to fading, making them some of the most durable modern pigments available.
Rather than referring to a single color, Quinacridone describes a group of chemically related pigments that produce a wide range of hues, including:
- Rose and magenta
- Red
- Crimson
- Violet
- Coral
- Burnt orange
Each variation has its own pigment identification number, such as:
- PV19 – Quinacridone Rose (or Quinacridone Red depending on the pigment shade)
- PR122 – Quinacridone Magenta
- PR206 – Quinacridone Burnt Orange
- PR209 – Quinacridone Red
Because they are transparent and high in chroma, Quinacridone pigments are especially valued for:
- Glazing techniques
- Luminous color mixtures
- Portrait painting
- Botanical and floral subjects
- Watercolor, acrylic, oil, and gouache painting
Many artists consider Quinacridone pigments essential modern colors because they combine vivid saturation with archival permanence.
Examples
“Quinacridone Magenta creates brilliant violets when mixed with Ultramarine Blue.” “Many artists replace Alizarin Crimson with Quinacridone Rose because it offers much better lightfastness.” “The transparent nature of Quinacridone pigments makes them ideal for glazing.”
Context
Quinacridone pigments belong to the family of organic pigments. Unlike traditional earth pigments or cadmium colors, they offer exceptionally clean mixtures while maintaining excellent permanence. They are among the most widely used pigments in contemporary professional paint ranges.
Core Principles
- Organic synthetic pigment family
- Extremely high chroma
- Transparent to semi-transparent
- Excellent lightfastness (typically ASTM I)
- Strong tinting strength
- Produces clean, vibrant mixtures
- Available in multiple pigment variants (PV19, PR122, PR206, PR209, etc.)
- Suitable for oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache, and ink
Derivation
The name Quinacridone comes from its chemical structure, first synthesized during research into industrial dyes in the early 20th century. The pigment entered commercial production in the 1950s and quickly became popular among artists because of its remarkable color intensity and permanence.