A fascinating cultural history of colour by art historian and BAFTA-nominated presenter James Fox.

"This book is a triumph. James Fox's passionate and illuminating exploration of the extraordinary relationship we have with colour is, in itself, extraordinary. It is an intellectual and visual feast: a true biography of colour that will delight readers."

- Edmund de Waal, author of The Hare with Amber Eyes

The central theme of this book is humanity's extraordinary relationship with colour. Through a series of journeys around the world and throughout history, it reveals the meanings that have been associated with the colours that surround us and how they have shaped our culture and imagination.

It focuses on seven primary colours-black, red, yellow, blue, white, purple and green-and discovers in each a fundamental idea, based on visual similarities or properties so essential that they are shared by all societies.

The book traces these meanings, showing how they have changed and evolved, their impact on our history and culture, and how understanding them allows us to reinterpret great landmarks of art, from the golden works of the Bronze Age to Turner and Titian to Yves Klein.

Through a series of individual stories, the book builds a broader narrative:

• From the black darkness that preceded existence to the birth of our red-blooded species.
• From the golden gods that animated the ancient world to the blue horizons that framed the Age of Discovery.
• From the white aspirations of the Enlightenment to the technicolour innovation of the Industrial Revolution.
• To the colour that best represents the environmental crisis we face today.

A vibrant, revealing and profoundly visual history that will change the way we perceive colour in our lives and in the history of art.

• Pages: 320
• Language: English
• Author: James Fox
• Year: 2023
• MODEL: 9780141976655

Publisher: Penguin