Scientific invention plays a more significant part in art than you think. Specific materials, patents, and pigments could set you apart from your artist peers. Many old masters guarded their secret recipe for unique colors, like Titian's iconic red, a blend of mercury and sulfur. The early Renaissance period is dotted with artists experimenting with their own method of achieving the correct perspective, including Brunelleschi and Jan Van Eyck.

The rivalries and pettiness often lead to bigger breakthroughs, just like the blackest black case. Now Black 3.0 and Musou Black Paint (99.4% light absorption) are available to you! (As long as you're not Anish Kapoor, that is!)