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Loading... Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Colorby Philip Ball
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  msaari | Dec 8, 2007 |  I enjoyed this book very much, as it explains in a clear and chronological way the development of pigments, dyes and other materials. It shows the importance of industry in its continuous search for less expensive and more durable dyes and new art trends. I found the book so motivating that I bought from Kremer Pigmente (Germany) samples of the pigments used by the artists in the Middle Ages, just to have a "feel" of the real color! (  ) mmotles | Nov 4, 2007 | Tracing the history of painting (primarily European) by describing advances in technology and chemistry, this book is excellent. It was relatively easy to read and has many color reproductions to illustrate the various points as well as monochrome figures. I was interested in the evolution of pigments from raw minerals mined from the ground through chemical pigment manufacture in the twentieth century. It was also interesting to learn how methods of painting have changed from fresco and egg tempura through oils and into acrylics and other types of paint. Changes to color theory through time are also described in this volume, which is something I previously knew next to nothing about. Reading this book, artists will learn about chemistry and chemists will learn about art. (  )1  Pferdina | Aug 25, 2007 | Wonderful book! Art history focusing on the use of color; and the science and technology of pigments. A bit of color theory also. Full of a wealth of details both significant and just fun. Erica Kline, 11/20/2002 ( ) EricaKline | Oct 26, 2006 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0226036286, Paperback)The making of a painting relies on inspiration, craft, practice, and vision. But, observes the noted science writer Philip Ball, it also hinges on science: "For as long as painters have fashioned their visions and dreams into images, they have relied on technical knowledge and skill to supply their materials."In this lively study, Ball examines some of the tools and materials that chemists have added to the palette over the centuries. He also takes his readers on a learned tour of what science has taught us about vision, the nature of light, and the physical and cultural factors that condition our perceptions of color (the ancient Romans, he notes, had no term for brown or gray, but that does not mean they didn't use earth pigments in their work). Whether writing of matters scientific or artistic, Ball is a technologist but not a determinist. In the end, he writes, art depends not on science but on artists, and "each artist makes his or her own contract with the colors of the time." Readers with an interest in science, art, and the crossroads where they meet will relish Ball's erudite travels across the spectrum of light. --Gregory McNamee (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:51 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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Wikipedia in English (2)
Philip Ball is a chemist and painters will learn a lot of chemistry from this book. Chemists will learn about art and painting and curious reader will learn both. The book is clearly written, entertaining and educational: an excellent example of good popular science. There are plenty of interesting details, as Ball goes through the history of art and pigments from the stone age cave paintings to modern art. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)
(Original review at my review site) (