Cézanne's effort to keep the museums of Paris rodent and bug free |
Paris Green
Paris Green, also called Emerald Green, was a popular paint pigment used by such artists as Turner, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Cézanne and Van Gogh. Emerald Green is an OK name, but I prefer Paris Green. Apparently it can also be used to kill bugs which is probably why there are no roaches in the Musée d’Orsay.
Paris Green, also called Emerald Green, was a popular paint pigment used by such artists as Turner, Monet, Renoir, Gauguin, Cézanne and Van Gogh. Emerald Green is an OK name, but I prefer Paris Green. Apparently it can also be used to kill bugs which is probably why there are no roaches in the Musée d’Orsay.

At the turn of the century, the last century that is, it was also used as an insecticide for produce (blended with lead arsenate) and pretty much burned everything it touched, and Paris Green was heavily sprayed from airplanes in various places to control malaria. I wonder who even thought of trying these things? Maybe an artist who had bugs in his atelier and a touch of jaundice.
If you ask me, this is pretty good stuff. You can paint with it, kill bugs and avoid disease. It’s an all purpose product and every home should have a can or two.
I’m also fond of Plaster of Paris. You never know when you’ll get the urge to sculpt something or mold yourself a cast if necessary. But that’s another topic for another day.
