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Frescoes, forgery, slime, paint and more. Chemistry can be found everywhere in the world of art.
Sections
Activities
- Tie Dye from AACT
Use this activity to apply chemistry to everyday life through tie-dying t-shirts.
- Colorful Lather Printing from C&EN
Shaving cream moves from the bathroom to the art room. Create unique marbled art, with the help of chemistry.
- Chemistry Colors Our World from ACS Celebrating Chemistry
A collection of activities and resources dedicated to connecting chemistry and color.
- Exploring Materials—Stained-Glass Windows from National Informal STEM Education Network
Art goes nano with these examples of stained glass. Make your own version with colorful tissue paper.
- Paper Snowflakes to Model Flat Symmetrical Molecules from ChemEdx
These structures look like sculptures, but teach us about molecules at the same time.
- DIY Fresco Art from Orlando Science Center
Try mixing plaster and pigments in this easy to do modified Fresco art activity.
Demos
- The “Rainbow Connection” from Flinn Scientific
See how to make beautiful colors of the rainbow appear and disappear in sequence with a combination of indicators.
- Dry Ice Color Show from Flinn Scientific
This large-scale demo brings together dry ice and a rainbow selection of indicators for colorful results.
Labs
- Exploring the Chemistry of Oil and Acrylic Paint from AACT
Make you own paint and complete an experiment to collect qualitative and quantitative data through a series of tests.
- Molding Metal from AACT
Cast tin into molds and observe physical changes of metals while creating an ornament.
- Chemistry of Art through Alloys and Metal Plating from AACT
Learn about and experiment with the process of electroless chemical plating in order to create a piece of artwork made from a combination of copper, zinc-plated copper, and brass.
- Chemistry and Art Exhibition from AACT
Choose from a variety of chemistry techniques to create a work of art.
Articles
- What’s in Your Paintbox from ChemMatters Magazine
From the cave paintings of prehistoric times to the masterpieces of today, creating art with paint seems to be a fundamental urge in humans. The key to paint is the pigment, the substance that gives a paint its color.
- What’s the Difference Between Art and Science from ChemMatters Magazine
While the outcomes of science and art are quite different, the processes involved have undeniable similarities.
- Profile with Tyler Thrasher, Artist and Chemist from ChemMatters Magazine
Thrasher takes crystals and chemistry outside the book to create art.
- Authentic or Not? Chemistry Solves the Mystery from ChemMatters Magazine
Art forgers have some serious skills. What can science do to detect their work?
- Young Artists Show It's All a Matter of Chemistry from Cosmos Magazine
Learn about some of the world’s best science-inspired artists, and the art created by considering life through a chemistry lens.
- Living Art: When a Chemistry Lab Doubles as an Art Studio from GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences
Fluorescent proteins unlock cellular secrets, but this chemist also found another use for the multi-colored microbes: paint for creating his own protein portraits from living material.
- Inorganic Pigment Compounds—The Chemistry of Paint from Compound Interest
Check out this infographic that compares go-to compounds for particular colors in paint.
- Why Are Georgia O'Keeffe's Paintings Breaking Out in Pimples? from Smithsonian Magazine
A new handheld tool lets scientists diagnose the chemical reaction behind “art acne”—and learn how it can be prevented.
- Cleaning Vandalized Street Art from ArtNet
Street art can be tough to keep protected from vandalism. Chemistry provides a new tool. - Chemistry Class as Art Gallery from C&EN
Brown University students create artwork inspired by natural products to hone their communication skills - Going Skin Deep: The Culture and Chemistry of Tattoos from inChemistry, ACS Student Magazine
Get the chemistry that's behind and in the ink. - What Chemicals Are in Your Tattoo? From C&EN
Do we know enough? And if not, what can we do to find out? European regulators worry about the inks used to make body decorations, which can be repurposed from the car paint, plastics, and textile dye industries. - The Chemistry of Slime from Compound Interest
The slime-making craze is sweeping schools and homes worldwide. This infographic investigates the ingredients and science behind slime’s gooey properties.
Videos
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How Does Glassblowing Work? from ACS Reactions
Have you ever tapped a screen to send a tweet, opted for the bottled soda because it tastes better, or drooled over art glass in a gallery? If yes, then your life has been changed for the better by the transparent yet durable combination of sand and simple chemicals we call glass.
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How Sniffing Priceless Art and Artifacts Could Save Them—Speaking of Chemistry from ACS Reactions
Come closer, lean in, and… inhale deeply. Some of our most valuable heritage objects—think old books, early film, and vintage plastic jewelry—have their own personal pong. But there’s more to their musk than nostalgia alone.
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Why are Tattoos Permanent? From ACS Reactions
There is science and chemistry at play in our skin when it reacts with tattoo ink. If you don’t have a tattoo, you probably at least know someone who does — but what’s the chemistry behind tattoos?
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What is the Blackest Black? from ACS Reactions
Go to any paint store or nail-polish shelf and you’ll see a dozen or so variations of the color black. Even inside a crayon box, there are a lot of shades. But what is the blackest black out there?
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EU’s Ban on Tattoo Ink: Breaking Down the Chemistry from ACS Reactions
Recently, a handful of tattoo inks have been banned by the European Union for safety reasons. Blue 15:3 and Green 7 made its way onto the banned list and tattoo artists are having a difficult time finding replacements for these two colors. Here’s what chemistry has to say about these precarious pigments.