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The History of Colour

A Universe of Chromatic Phenomena
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( 46 ratings, 16 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The History of Colour by Neil Parkinson offers a comprehensive exploration of humanity's intricate relationship with colour. Spanning from ancient philosophy to modern theory, it delves into how colour has been understood and used across continents, cultures, and disciplines. Richly illustrated with rare images from the Royal College of Art's Colour Reference Library, the book reveals the historical evolution of colour in art, science, food, music, language, and more.
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Format: Hardback
$5500
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in arts, culture, history, design, and anyone curious about the deeper significance of colour in everyday life.

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The History of Colour explores the rich history of humans relationship with colour, from ancient times to today.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

This comprehensive, beautiful book delves deep into the complex but fascinating story of our relationship with colour throughout human history. Colour is fundamental to our experience and understanding of the world. It crosses continents and cultures, disciplines and decades. It is used to convey information and knowledge, to evoke mood, and to inspire emotion.

The History of Colour explores the history of our understanding of colour, from the ancient world to the present, from Aristotle to Albers. Interspersed in the historical story are numerous thematic essays that look at how colour has been used across a wide range of disciplines and fields: in food, music, language and many others.

The illustrations are drawn from the Royal College of Art's renowned Colour Reference Library, which spans six centuries of works and nearly 2,000 titles. These include a Gothic manuscript on the composition of the rainbow, hand-painted Enlightenment works on colour theory, and vibrant 20th-century colour charts, featuring many fascinating examples not seen in other books.

Delving far and wide into this fascinating and varied subject, this book will help readers find new layers of meaning and complexity in their everyday experiences and teach them to look closer at our colourful lives.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780711266797

Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 28 September 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Frances Lincoln

Illustration: 200 colour illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 171.0mm

Height: 236.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Neil Parkinson is Archives and Collections Manager at the Royal College of Art, London where his responsibilities include development of the renowned Colour Reference Library. In the last decade, he has presented widely on the subject of colour to audiences from schoolchildren to chemists. He has chaired symposiums and conferences on colour, and he wrote a history of the collection for the Journal of Design History (OUP).

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