Green, from middle English and Anglo Saxon grene, a word associated with  youth and hope, important to Islam and  environmentalists alike, the colour of frogs, plants and marine environments. Algae on the surface of the harbour walls gives a green look to the water. Chlorophyll gives colour to the green. It gives Chlorophilia, the love of green as some suggest, a non word as green itself is a non colour, the play of light on rods and cones in the eye.

Green is defined by a spectrum of beautiful words. Celadon. Viridian. Malachite. Oxide of Chromium. Cinnabar. Emerald. Terre Verte. Verdigris. Straight from the tube it is a difficult colour for  landscape painting,  with the exception perhaps of Cinnabar, a gentle muted yellow green and  the green oxides and mineral pigments. Viridian is a beautiful transparent green. A strong colour on its own but mixed with blue it gave a sky to Van Gogh’s night.

Complex browns appear when greens are modified by reds and umbers. Raw sienna is a greenish brown. Lightened with yellows it makes sludgy green. Ivory black with lemon yellow surprises with a bright olive green.