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Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Colour : Book by David Coles
BKT085
Low Stock
Chromatopia: An Illustrated History of Colour : Book by David Coles
Featuring informative and detailed colour histories, a section on working with monochromatic colour, and 'recipes' for paint-making, Chromatopia provides colour enthusiasts with an eclectic story of how synthetic colours came to be. For example, did you know that the Egyptians created the first synthetic colour, or that the noblest purple comes from a predatory sea snail? Throughout history, artist 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 serendipity, Chromatopia reveals the origin stories of over 50 of history's most extraordinary pigments. Spanning the ancient world to modern leaps in technology, this is a book for the artist, the history buff, the science lover and the design fanatic.
Chromatopia is the creation of David Coles, founder and master paintmaker at Langridge Artist Colours. David has been involved in the world of colour his whole life, both as a paintmaker and lecturer. By bringing art and science together, this book is the culmination of over two decades’ experience. Read our interview with David Coles on our blog.
- Size: 171 x 225 x 25mm
- Format: Paperback, 240pp
- ISBN-13: 9781760760021
- Publisher: Thames and Hudson
| Need more information on the use of this product? If so, please ask! |
| SKU | BKT085 |
|---|---|
| Shipping Weight (kg) | 0.8590 |
| Publisher | Thames & Hudson |
| Country of Manufacture | United Kingdom |
| Books & DVDs : Subject | Art History |
| Books & DVDs : Author/Artist | David Coles |
| To Use With | General |
- Review by Feefo
It is a really excellent book about the history of Pigment, text and photos wonderful! (Posted on 24/01/2020)Rating - Review by Celia
Chromatopia is the kind of book I've wanted for a long time, having developed a great curiosity about the history of pigments through my own painting. There are a lot of books to choose from when it comes to this subject, and David Coles' book is a real pleasure to read for anyone who is interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at these fascinating pigments.Rating
The book is a hardback, and a very pleasant size to hold; plenty of pages but not too weighty either. The first thing to get my attention upon receiving the book was the front cover, the interesting layout of different colour pigments makes you want to immediately open the book and start learning about these intriguing pieces of colour. There is a very interesting little introduction at the beginning, detailing the author and his experience with colour, which was fascinating; the author's enthusiasm for his life's work is infectious and it was a treat to read about how much attention he pays to the manufacture of his own paints.
The book is then laid out in sections, ten chapters of many different colours and types of pigment, of which quite a few were new to me. Almost every single page is accompanied by the most lavish, beautiful photography I've ever seen in a technical book; it's clear that the photographer, Adrian Lander, is as gifted at his chosen profession as David Coles is with paint and colour. Most pigments have one page descriptions, with an accompanying photo, and reading each one is a pleasure. I've learned some amazing things about each pigment, though some of the technical terminology was a bit beyond me, even though there is a very useful glossary provided also. I did find find when reading about some pigments, the author referenced another pigment I hadn't read about yet, which was a few pages later on, so that involved a lot of flicking pages; I think it might benefit from the pages being printed in a different order, but that's only a minor quibble. A larger issue I had came towards the last quarter of the book. After some pages of paint recipes (for those interested in making their own paint, also very interesting to read), the final part of the book was taken up with a section called "Artists' Colour", which consists of photographs of various artists' paintings/art works using some colours described in the book. Everyone's opinion of what constitutes art is different, so this chapter will undoubtedly please some readers, but I found the style visually displeasing; I'd have preferred to see samples of beautiful artworks showing a clever use of the pigments described, rather than a modern art exhibition. However, this is only a personal opinion and the rest of the book more than makes up for any shortcomings. This is an informative, knowledgeable book written by an author who really knows his craft, and it makes for some really fascinating reading. It may not suit those searching for an extremely detailed look at each pigment, this is more of a concise general look, but for most people it is a beautifully written and gorgeously photographed journey through a rainbow of colour. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in painting or just colour in general.
(Posted on 04/12/2019)- Review by Feefo
The book was not for me but the recipient says it was just what she wanted. (Posted on 07/07/2019)Rating - Review by Feefo
Excellent Book, well written and visually stunning. Brilliant service from Jackson’s as always and the best price on the Internet. (Posted on 30/06/2019)Rating
-
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Featuring informative and detailed colour histories, a section on working with monochromatic colour, and 'recipes' for paint-making, Chromatopia provides colour enthusiasts with an eclectic story of how synthetic colours came to be. For example, did you know that the Egyptians created the first synthetic colour, or that the noblest purple comes from a predatory sea snail? Throughout history, artist 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 serendipity, Chromatopia reveals the origin stories of over 50 of history's most extraordinary pigments. Spanning the ancient world to modern leaps in technology, this is a book for the artist, the history buff, the science lover and the design fanatic.
Chromatopia is the creation of David Coles, founder and master paintmaker at Langridge Artist Colours. David has been involved in the world of colour his whole life, both as a paintmaker and lecturer. By bringing art and science together, this book is the culmination of over two decades’ experience. Read our interview with David Coles on our blog.
- Size: 171 x 225 x 25mm
- Format: Paperback, 240pp
- ISBN-13: 9781760760021
- Publisher: Thames and Hudson
| Need more information on the use of this product? If so, please ask! |
| SKU | BKT085 |
|---|---|
| Shipping Weight (kg) | 0.8590 |
| Publisher | Thames & Hudson |
| Country of Manufacture | United Kingdom |
| Books & DVDs : Subject | Art History |
| Books & DVDs : Author/Artist | David Coles |
| To Use With | General |
- Review by Feefo
It is a really excellent book about the history of Pigment, text and photos wonderful! (Posted on 24/01/2020)Rating - Review by Celia
Chromatopia is the kind of book I've wanted for a long time, having developed a great curiosity about the history of pigments through my own painting. There are a lot of books to choose from when it comes to this subject, and David Coles' book is a real pleasure to read for anyone who is interested in getting a behind-the-scenes look at these fascinating pigments.Rating
The book is a hardback, and a very pleasant size to hold; plenty of pages but not too weighty either. The first thing to get my attention upon receiving the book was the front cover, the interesting layout of different colour pigments makes you want to immediately open the book and start learning about these intriguing pieces of colour. There is a very interesting little introduction at the beginning, detailing the author and his experience with colour, which was fascinating; the author's enthusiasm for his life's work is infectious and it was a treat to read about how much attention he pays to the manufacture of his own paints.
The book is then laid out in sections, ten chapters of many different colours and types of pigment, of which quite a few were new to me. Almost every single page is accompanied by the most lavish, beautiful photography I've ever seen in a technical book; it's clear that the photographer, Adrian Lander, is as gifted at his chosen profession as David Coles is with paint and colour. Most pigments have one page descriptions, with an accompanying photo, and reading each one is a pleasure. I've learned some amazing things about each pigment, though some of the technical terminology was a bit beyond me, even though there is a very useful glossary provided also. I did find find when reading about some pigments, the author referenced another pigment I hadn't read about yet, which was a few pages later on, so that involved a lot of flicking pages; I think it might benefit from the pages being printed in a different order, but that's only a minor quibble. A larger issue I had came towards the last quarter of the book. After some pages of paint recipes (for those interested in making their own paint, also very interesting to read), the final part of the book was taken up with a section called "Artists' Colour", which consists of photographs of various artists' paintings/art works using some colours described in the book. Everyone's opinion of what constitutes art is different, so this chapter will undoubtedly please some readers, but I found the style visually displeasing; I'd have preferred to see samples of beautiful artworks showing a clever use of the pigments described, rather than a modern art exhibition. However, this is only a personal opinion and the rest of the book more than makes up for any shortcomings. This is an informative, knowledgeable book written by an author who really knows his craft, and it makes for some really fascinating reading. It may not suit those searching for an extremely detailed look at each pigment, this is more of a concise general look, but for most people it is a beautifully written and gorgeously photographed journey through a rainbow of colour. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in painting or just colour in general.
(Posted on 04/12/2019)- Review by Feefo
The book was not for me but the recipient says it was just what she wanted. (Posted on 07/07/2019)Rating - Review by Feefo
Excellent Book, well written and visually stunning. Brilliant service from Jackson’s as always and the best price on the Internet. (Posted on 30/06/2019)Rating
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