Art

Category: Creativity. Last updated June 20, 2023.

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Frescoes, forgery, slime, paint and more. Chemistry can be found everywhere in the world of art.

Sections

  1. Activities
  2. Demos
  3. Labs
  4. Articles
  5. Videos

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.
  • 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

  • Molding Metal from AACT
    Cast tin into molds and observe physical changes of metals while creating an ornament.

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.
  • 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.
  • 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

  • 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.





  • 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?



  • 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?



  • 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.