Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color (original 2001; edition 2002)

Ball is a chemist, and therefore it stands to reason that he would refer to compounds by their proper names; this can get a little overwhelming, but it is commendable that he doesn't want to dumb it down, and it is precise. There aren't many plates and Ball does mention a lot more paintings than there are images provided, but he does make good use of the ones he has in illustrating what he's talking about in the text. The text is dense and it took me longer than I thought it would to finish it, but there are interesting asides and references to the origins of words, such as ‘miniature’ and ‘masterpiece’, which provide interludes to spur the reader on. I enjoyed learning about the different ways colour has been considered, for example, as a scale from light to dark, putting red and green in the middle, and explaining why some early documents used to confuse the two colours, which we would consider now to be distinct and separate. There are some wonderful turns of phrase, such as 'lexicological thicket'. I had no idea how complex photography and digital art are, and how difficult it is to reproduce colours accurately. Rather naively, I had assumed that what I see is the original colour, but Ball shows that this may not be the case. The difficulties in printing of replicating exact colours and harmonies is discussed, and there are decisions to be made: either keep the relations of colours, meaning that the exact colours would not be used, or keep the exact colours where possible and bring the others into the same sphere, meaning that some colours that were distinct are now identical. Tricky to call. Ball also raises questions of authenticity and originality for digital work, which is likely to be become more and more important for the future.
It sometimes felt a little bit like ‘The quantum story' (http://www.librarything.com/work/10894069/book/75212785), but just because of the chemical names and combinations; the subject matter is more accessible. There was an interesting chapter on time as a painter and the idea that we won't see the paintings as they were when they were first completed, either due to natural wear, or because the pigments weren't stable enough. I wonder what will be left of the art produced now for people to look at in five hundred or a thousand years' time. ( )

Lots of information about pigments and dyes and how these are used scientifically to identify a work of art.
Very good information for those interested in delving deeper into the history of color.

Colour is easy to take as grant. However, the great painters of the history worked often with a very limited palettes, as good pigments simply weren't invented. The best blues and reds were very valuable, which defined the ways they were used in medieval painting. There's plenty of detail in the history of art that can be explained by the economics and chemistry of paint.

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) ( )

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! ( )

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. ( )