Poshmoog’s Reviews > Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane > Status Update

“Some ascribed the fiery temperament of painters to the toxic qualities of the materials that they used. Lead white and vermilion were particularly poisonous. The mere touch or smell of either might cause a variety of symptoms including depression, anxiety and increased aggressiveness. Those suffering from ‘Painter’s Colic’, as it was called, also tended to drink heavily’.”