Synthetic organic pigments (SOPs), introduced in the late 19^th century, represented a new class of pigments that produced new shades and imitations of traditional pigments. However, their poor lightfastness raised concerns among chemists, paint manufacturers, and artists about their suitability for use in artists' paints.

Despite some studies on historical paint materials and paintings, our knowledge of the types of SOPs and the extent of their use in early 20^th-century artists' materials remains limited. This PhD thesis aims to expand our understanding of the use of SOPs by paint manufacturers and artists during the first half of the 20^th century (1908-1955). The research explored SOPs from three different perspectives: chemists, paint manufacturers, and artists.

The chemists' perspective was explored by examining contemporary art-technical literature discussing SOPs. To study the paint manufacturers' viewpoint, the Talens archive was analysed, focusing on the use of synthetic organic colourants in Talens’ acquisitions (1926-1940s) and their recipes for oil paints (1922-1955) and watercolours (1908-1955). The actual use of SOP-containing paints by artists was investigated through the analysis of 70 paintings from Dutch collections, dated between 1908 and 1955, using non-invasive techniques.

The findings were contextualized by comparing Talens’ use of synthetic organic colourants and the SOPs identified in the paintings with the discussions found in art-technical literature. The examination revealed that, despite the predominantly negative reputation of SOPs in early 20^th-century art-technical literature, their use in artists' paints by manufacturers was not uncommon, nor did it significantly influence artists' material choices.

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