Colors of Art: The Story of Art in 80 Palettes

This impressively illustrated collection of paintings ranging from prehistoric times to the present so vividly demonstrates the development and significance of color as stories and history have been artfully and colorfully translated into visual images. The colors and shades produced by the pigments and painting materials of art changed over time as the artists selected palettes to rouse visual emotions and speak to the viewer. Writer Chlöe Ashby has selected eighty artworks to show how color has been used to express the mood of the art and also to evoke the viewer’s reactions. The story begins with the prehistoric use of charcoal, ochre-colored clay, and red hematite recorded along cave walls and continues to more colorful Egyptian art, leading to the development of color during the Renaissance and the appearance of frescos with brilliant blue skies. Watch colors being modified as new chemicals and pigments appear in oils and plastics through the periods described as Impressionistic, Expressionistic, and Pop Art up to the present. The stunning reproductions of paintings by Manet, Caravaggio, Warhol, Delaunay, Botticelli, and the other noted artists, along with the palette of colors used in their works, will capture the eye and stir the emotions. Follow the evolution of art through the manipulation of color in this entrancing history of the changing palette.