An illustrated guide to the history and symbolism of colors, as used
in artworks throughout the ages, from prehistory to the present day.
Color, which has the power to impart meaning or express emotion, has
fascinated humans for millennia. This comprehensive, illustrated guide
demonstrates how color--through different periods, cultures, and
artistic movements--has been used in art: from the black, red, and white
pigments first used in prehistoric cave paintings to the muted tones of
Gabonese Punu masks replete with spiritual significance, or from Andy
Warhol's Gold Marilyn Monroe with its flashy hues borrowed from the
advertising world to the signature outrenoir (beyond black) of the
late Pierre Soulages.
From oil painting to optical art, this international history of color
unfurls over thirty major periods in the development of color in the
arts, elucidating their characteristics, key works, and exponents. The
symbolism given to a particular color and how such associations have
evolved over time is revealed. A gallery of sixty works that are
remarkable for their extraordinary use of color includes the explosion
of light emanating from Joseph Mallord William Turner's Light and
Colour (Goethe's Theory), the fleeting moments of dawn depicted with
broken brushstrokes and colorful intensity in Monet's Impression,
Sunrise, and the acidulous tones of David Hockney's portrait My
Parents. A final chapter examines the materials and techniques used to
achieve chromatic effects. Complete with extensive cross-references,
this accessible guide allows readers to discover more about a particular
movement, theme, or technique, and offers an enlightening and
polychromatic overview to the history of color in art.
