A few master painters (examples of which are provided below) considered the use of ultramarine and other costly pigments an essential part of producing paintings with optimum color.

Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) used ultramarine to paint The Starry Night in 1889. The oil on canvas painting is considered to be one of his best works and is today in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. It is a widely recognized painting.

Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) used ultramarine to paint the headscarf of the Girl with a Pearl Earring in about 1665. The oil on canvas painting has been exhibited at museums throughout the world, and also served as the inspiration for a novel and a film. It is currently in the collection of the Mauritshuis in The Hague.

Titian (1488-1576) used ultramarine blue to paint the dramatic sky and draperies in his oil on canvas painting of Bacchus and Ariadne. The painting is now on display at the National Gallery in London.

Many painters have used ultramarine blue to paint the robe of Mary, mother of Jesus. Giovanni Sassoferrato (1609-1685) produced one of the most vivid examples when he painted The Virgin in Prayer between 1640 and 1650. The oil on canvas painting is on exhibit at the National Gallery in London.