The Secret Lives of Colour

Author: Kassia St Clair
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1473630827
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 361

Book Description
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox. Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer.' Simon Garfield The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades, dyes and hues. 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. In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. Across fashion and politics, art and war, The Secret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture.

The Little Book of Colour

Author: Karen Haller
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 024135286X
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
A SUNDAY TIMES DESIGN BOOK OF THE YEAR _________________________________________ The definitive guide for harnessing the power of colour to improve your happiness, wellbeing and confidence Wouldn't you like to boost your confidence simply by slipping on 'that' yellow jumper? Or when you get home after a stressful day, be instantly soothed by the restful green of your walls? The colours all around us hold an emotional energy. Applied Colour Psychology specialist, Karen Haller, explains the inherent power of colour; for example, looking closely at the colours we love or those we dislike can bring up deeply buried memories and with them powerful feelings. A revolutionary guide to boosting your wellbeing, The Little Book of Colour puts you firmly in the driver's seat and on the road to changing the colours in your world to revamp your mood and motivation. Illuminating the science, psychology and emotional significance of colour, with key assessments for finding your own true colour compatibility, this book will help you to rediscover meaning in everything you do through the joy of colour. Get ready to join the colour revolution, and change your life for the better.

The Brilliant History of Color in Art

Author: Victoria Finlay
Publisher: Getty Publications
ISBN: 1606064290
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 122

Book Description
The history of art is inseparable from the history of color. And what a fascinating story they tell together: one that brims with an all-star cast of characters, eye-opening details, and unexpected detours through the annals of human civilization and scientific discovery. Enter critically acclaimed writer and popular journalist Victoria Finlay, who here takes readers across the globe and over the centuries on an unforgettable tour through the brilliant history of color in art. Written for newcomers to the subject and aspiring young artists alike, Finlay’s quest to uncover the origins and science of color will beguile readers of all ages with its warm and conversational style. Her rich narrative is illustrated in full color throughout with 166 major works of art—most from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum. Readers of this book will revel in a treasure trove of fun-filled facts and anecdotes. Were it not for Cleopatra, for instance, purple might not have become the royal color of the Western world. Without Napoleon, the black graphite pencil might never have found its way into the hands of Cézanne. Without mango-eating cows, the sunsets of Turner might have lost their shimmering glow. And were it not for the pigment cobalt blue, the halls of museums worldwide might still be filled with forged Vermeers. Red ocher, green earth, Indian yellow, lead white—no pigment from the artist’s broad and diverse palette escapes Finlay’s shrewd eye in this breathtaking exploration.

Secret Language of Color

Author: Joann Eckstut
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
ISBN: 9781579129491
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
In this beautiful and thorough investigation, The Secret Language of Color celebrates and illuminates the countless ways in which color colors our world. Why is the sky blue, the grass green, a rose red? Most of us have no idea how to answer these questions, nor are we aware that color pervades nearly all aspects of life, from the subatomic realm and the natural world to human culture and psychology. Organized into chapters that begin with a fascinating explanation of the physics and chemistry of color, The Secret Language of Color travels from outer space to Earth, from plants to animals to humans. In these chapters we learn about how and why we see color, the nature of rainbows, animals with color vision far superior and far inferior to our own, how our language influences the colors we see, and much more. Between these chapters, authors Joann Eckstut and Ariele Eckstut turn their attention to the individual hues of the visible spectrum?red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and violet?presenting each in fascinating, in-depth detail. Including hundreds of stunning photographs and dozens of informative, often entertaining graphics, every page is a breathtaking demonstration of color and its role in the world around us. Whether you see red, are a shrinking violet, or talk a blue streak, this is the perfect book for anyone interested in the history, science, culture, and beatuty of color in the natural and man-made world.

Chromatopia

Author: David Coles
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1760762016
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
This origin story of history’s most vivid color pigments is perfect for artists, history buffs, science lovers, and design fanatics. Did you know that the Egyptians created the first synthetic color and used it to create the famous blue crown of Queen Nefertiti? Or that the noblest purple comes from a predatory sea snail? In the Roman Empire, hundreds of thousands of snails had to be sacrificed to produce a single ounce of dye. Throughout history, pigments have been made from deadly metals, poisonous minerals, urine, cow dung, and even crushed insects. From grinding down beetles and burning animal bones to alchemy and pure luck, Chromatopia reveals the origin stories behind over fifty of history’s most vivid color pigments. Featuring informative and detailed color histories, a section on working with monochromatic color, and “recipes” for paint-making, Chromatopia provides color enthusiasts with an eclectic story of how synthetic colors came to be. Red lead, for example, was invented by the ancient Greeks by roasting white lead, and it became the dominant red in medieval painting. Spanning from the ancient world to modern leaps in technology, and vibrantly illustrated throughout, this book will add a little chroma to anyone’s understanding of the history of colors.

The Colours of History

Author: Clive Gifford
Publisher: QED Publishing
ISBN: 1786034182
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 64

Book Description
A vibrant exploration of the stories behind different colours, and the roles they've played throughout history. Each double-page spread looks at a different shade, accompanied by vivid, imaginative illustrations.

The Secret Lives of Colour

Author: Kassia St Clair
Publisher: John Murray
ISBN: 1473630827
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 361

The Secret Lives of Color

Author: Kassia St. Clair
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1524704946
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Book Description
One of USA Today's “100 Books to Read While Stuck at Home During the Coronavirus Crisis” A dazzling gift, the unforgettable, unknown history of colors and the vivid stories behind them in a beautiful multi-colored volume. “Beautifully written . . . Full of anecdotes and fascinating research, this elegant compendium has all the answers.” —NPR, Best Books of 2017 The Secret Lives of Color tells the unusual stories of seventy-five fascinating shades, dyes, and hues. 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. In this book, Kassia St. 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. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture. “This passionate and majestic compedium will leave you bathed in the gorgeous optics of light.” —Elle

Happy by Design

Author: Ben Channon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1003822835
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 85

Book Description
Can good design truly make us happier? Given that we spend over 80% of our time in buildings, shouldn't we have a better understanding of how they make us feel? Happy by Design explores the ways in which buildings, spaces and cities affect our moods. It reveals how architecture and design can make us happy and support mental health, and explains how poor design can have the opposite effect. Presented through a series of easy-to-understand design tips and accompanied by beautiful diagrams and illustrations, Happy by Design is a fantastic resource for architects, designers and students, or for anybody who would like to better understand the relationship between buildings and happiness. With the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, the importance of designing for mental wellbeing has never been higher on the agenda. Whether through low-energy design, designing in better ventilation to avoid passing on pathogens or the realisation of the importance of accessing nature within an environment, this revised edition has been updated to reflect a changed world.

The Secret Life of Salmon

Author: Henry J Giles
Publisher: White Owl
ISBN: 1399011995
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 144

Book Description
"Via philosophy, technique and knowledge, Giles encourages the reader to question and ponder, sharing expert insight.” - The Field (Alexandra Henton, editor). The Secret Life of Salmon is something both personal and intimate, and macro and global. The life story of Atlantic, Chum, Sockeye, King, Silver and Pink salmon, has gripped the human consciousness since the dawn of time. Now we have a new interactive angle on the existential eco status of the king of fish. A mirror held up to our warming world - via science, sporting and aquacultural viewpoints. This book takes in the start of a salmon’s life cycle with gravel covered eggs hatching in a specific river pool, we hear fascinating secrets with a backdrop of the time-lapsed seasons changing overhead and specified times of year. We follow the salmon's epic journey of quest through icy and wild northern waters to its conclusion in an upland stream. Read about the great success stories of conservation - the 21st-century buy-out of drift-nets in British and Irish waters; the application of ranching in the vast waters of the Alaskan-Pacific. The groundbreaking smolt tracking methods using cutting edge science applied on famous but threatened salmon populations from New Brunswick streams to Moray Firth rivers and out to sea. A sustainable future for these iconic fish? The answer is here including the latest on new technology and significance and legacy of COP26 in Glasgow, taking in the road to COP 27 and beyond. Predators. Size of river. Numbers. Withering in-river predation from mergansers, goosanders and mink, then grey seals, dolphins and orcas in salmons' marine iteration. How do fish in your chosen location fare compared to salmon elsewhere? The answer is here. Bringing it back home: the pods of muscled chrome-silver salmon nosing back into tidal reaches of their home river to spawn. A map in its head, a smell of the water. Nature's wisdom staggering runs of fish back on an imperative they can’t ignore? This book, with its unique pictures is a visual, technical, philosophical and emotional feast and a serious call to arms. New light is shed on new events, new scientific and environmental projects, and the foreword by Dr Paul Rouse FRSA, who worked with the Carnegie Climate Governance Initiative as its science adviser, sets an epoch defining moment for the salmon and its secrets. Praise for How To Catch More Salmon (White Owl Books, 2019): "Devoted salmon fisher Henry Giles has written a book to help others catch the elusive kings of the river. Try it… you might just get hooked.” - The Scotsman