[3] Notable artists who have used the pigment include Claude Monet, who relied on manganese violet in his Rouen Cathedral series to further his exploration of shadows.

[4] Beyond the artistic community, manganese violet has been used in cosmetics to color products like lipstick and eyeshadow.

[2][8][9] For the synthesis from Mn(III) oxide, an idealized equation follows: The pigment has two polymorphs: α- and β-forms.

The feature octahedral Mn(III) centers, which are distorted by Jahn-Teller effect, as expected for a high spin (quintet state) d4 ions.

[3]: 178  The visual characteristics of manganese violet remain a source of contention among the artistic community.

[13] The pigments' popularity was short lived within the artistic community because of its dullness and poor hiding power.

[17] He tended to use what he regarded as pure pigments, such as cobalt blue, French ultramarine, and lead white.

[16] In Seurat's painting Channel of Gravelines, Grand Fort-Philippe, for example, manganese violet was used in the border.

[18] There is speculation that Seurat utilized manganese violet in the border because of its low tinting power.