Color Theory

Giving an overview of the history of colour theory from ancient and classical cultures to contemporary contexts, this book explores important critical principles and provides practical guidance on the use of colour in art and design.

Going beyond a simple recitation of what has historically been said about colour, artist and educator Aaron Fine provides an intellectual history, critiquing prevailing Western ideas on the subject and challenging assumptions. He analyses colonialist and gendered attitudes, materialist and romanticist perspectives, spiritualist approaches to colour, colour in the age of reproduction, and modernist and post-modernist colour strategies. Highlighted throughout are examples of the ways in which attitudes towards colour have been impacted by the legacy of colonialism and are tied up with race, gender, and class.

Topics covered include colour models, wheels and charts, colour interaction and theories of perception, with over 150 images throughout. By placing under-examined tenets of colour theory such as the colour wheel and colour primaries within the Western industrial context that generated them, Fine helps you to connect colour choices to colour meanings and apply theory to practice.