Titanium white, also Pigment White 6 or CI 77891 is a family of white pigments composed primarily of

titanium dioxide Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium(IV) oxide or titania , is the inorganic compound derived from titanium with the chemical formula . When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6 (PW6), or Colour Index Internationa ...

. It is the most widely used white pigment in contemporary artistic applications because of its affordability, low toxicity, and high hiding power. Though the term titanium white most often refers to pigments containing titanium dioxide, it can also describe any white pigment that contains a titanium compound (e.g. zinc titanate,

barium titanate Barium titanate (BTO) is an inorganic compound with chemical formula BaTiO3. It is the barium salt of metatitanic acid. Barium titanate appears white as a powder and is transparent when prepared as large crystals. It is a Ferroelectricity, ferroe ...

, potassium titanate, titanium lithopone, titanium silicate).

History

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a bright white substance first named and created in a laboratory in the mid-19th century. It was initially used as a pigment in the ceramic arts for yellow glazes later in the century, and by the 1890s artists started to use white mixtures containing the compound. The pigment was further developed for industrial use in the 1910s by the Titanium Pigment Company in the United States and the Titan Company in Norway, each working independently. The two manufactures cross-licensed their patents in 1920. By the late 1920s, titanium and zinc white had unseated

lead white Lead white is a thick, opaque, and heavy white pigment composed primarily of basic lead carbonate, , with a crystalline molecular structure. It was the most widely produced and used white pigment in different parts of the world from antiquity unti ...

as the dominant product in the market for white pigment. Most art supply companies now explicitly advise that titanium white should be used instead of lead white for safety reasons.

Visual characteristics

Titanium white provides greater hiding power and tinting strength than any other white pigment. Titanium white was initially more expensive to produce than lead white, but its superior hiding power soon made it a more economical choice because smaller quantities were required to achieve the same degree of opacity.

Notable occurrences

Titanium white featured regularly in the palette of Arthur Dove, who was among its earliest adopters in the 1920s. It has also been identified in the work of Thomas Hart Benton,

Diego Rivera Diego Rivera (; December 8, 1886 – November 24, 1957) was a Mexican painter. His large frescoes helped establish the Mexican muralism, mural movement in Mexican art, Mexican and international art. Between 1922 and 1953, Rivera painted mural ...

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

, and

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

References

{{reflist Inorganic pigments Pigments Shades of white