A two-year research contract at the Doerner Institute provided an opportunity to examine their collection of synthetic organic pigments using infrared spectroscopy and thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC). In the course of this research, a method of thin-layer chromatography was developed and used to analyze synthetic organic pigments from artists' commercial paints. The pigment samples were examined for their solubility in increasingly polarized organic solvents. Gradual progression lets them be separated and classified into different pigment groups. Knowledge of the pigment group permits finding the suitable chromatographic system - and in the comparative DC the spectrum of the reference substances. As the discovery dates of the individual synthetic organic pigments are known, identifying them would also make it possible to date modern works of art and detect forgeries.