In The Secret Lives of Color design journalist Kassia St Clair explores the world of colors. After a short introduction about what colors are and how we see and perceive them Kassia takes us a trip across the spectrum. The stories of individual colors, how they are made up, how they came to be, and the origins of their names are told in a series of short (1-2 pages) essays. Each page edge is printed with the color being discussed.
The Secret Lives of Colors is a fascinating read for anyone interested in design, art history or simply pigments. The essays are highly entertaining and anecdotal and some of them really made me think! How did certain pigments come about? How did the fine artists of the past cope with a limited palette? Why do we associate different colors with specific things? (And a hundred and one other questions that I hadn't previously even considered!)
I read this book cover to cover, but equally, it is a book that is perfect to dip in and out of. I think it is a great book for gifting as although not overly large it is handsome enough to grace a coffee table.
I recommend this unusual and informative book highly.
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