The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair

From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. 'The unforgettable, unknown history of colors and the vivid stories behind them in a beautiful multi-colored volume The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes and hues.

1881 Manet “Fresh air is violet”: This was exciting to read because I have always thought the same thing. New theories on shadows (they weren’t black or grey but actually colored) and complementary color schemes (violet complements yellow) ergo the shade depicted in a painting would be soft violet. The orange-red minium is the color of illuminated manuscript capitals/pilcrows leading to our word ‘miniature’. Orange was the star of Monet’s ‘Impression, Sunrise’ (plus color contrast theory, leading to a new movement.

Sensationalist literature of 19C kept between yellow covers (yellow journalism) - the Middle Ages forced ostracized groups to wear yellow vs the ‘Yellow Nineties’ as artists adopted it in repudiation of Victorian values. Some examples of how color interacts with our world: Only quibble is it would’ve been nice to have a brief end chapter discussing the future of the use of colors in art and/or current debates as follow ups on points raised throughout the book. This book is beautifully designed, a visual work of art itself. Intriguing and enjoyable look at the history and provenance of 75 colors with special attention to their role in art: it shows how much of art was dependent upon what was available at the time. Every color has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking.'-Simon Garfield, author of Just My Type'- … ( more) 'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colors and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization.

The Secret Lives of Color by Kassia St. Clair