Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox
£26.47
A fantastic journey and a perfect guide - This is on my list of all time favourite books. I studied textile design and love old fabric, murals, paintings and stained glass. Colours have always had power to alter my mood and have greatly enhanced my life. As always, something which we in todays modern world take for granted has much deeper meaning which we should all be aware of. Most children think of colour as precious, and in this book Victoria proves that they are right, it has always been highly prized and has a magical and stunning history. I had long wondered where colour came from and she takes us along with her on her journey to uncover the secret. She is a good tour guide and her own wonder shines through. A beautiful book for anyone who enjoys colour and art. Buy it for yourself and give it as a gift!
Gobsmacking - This is truely amazing - always fascinated by colour, but never, ever would I have guessed at the amazing stories behind them. So many unrelated puzzling trivials have been answered in this book, the old masters can be seen in a new light, even to an art heathen, the fact that the paintings have survived this long is indeed a feat of outstanding wonder, given the careful chemistry and make up of the materials they had to work with. A truely amazing, fascinating historical book, beautifully written, and I m so glad I ve had the opportunity to read it.
Absolutely fabulous - This book was the beginning of a travel of my own. The book takes us around the world discovering the origins of the pigments of all the colours in the rainbow. Combining historical facts, trivia stories and interesting people Victoria Finlay takes us on a journey that we do not wish to end! I am currently reading it for the second time and it has been a strong basis (both in terms of info and bibliography) for my thesis about the theory of colour in Portuguese Modernism.
Tremendously beautiful - When you take things for granted you usually do not understand their importance and beauty. This happens with colours. Victoria Finlay s book invites us to look at our surrounding world with different eyes and teaches us to stare with fascination at colours. It is a beautiful book that takes us on a journey around the world, allowing us to meet extremely interesting people that have so much to tell on something as beautiful as colours. When you finish reading it, you wish the rainbow had not only 7, but hundreds of colours!!! A must read for curious minds....
A real find for travel & art enthusiasts - Victoria Finlay comes from a background both as an arts journatist and also someone who has lived and worked abroad. This broad view shines through.It is really a collection of stories, linked by the quest for colour. It is a rich and rewarding read, and one that is both absorbing. Yet as the stories of the individual colours and pigments are revealed and are amazingly potent, the book can also be taken in bite sized chunks - ideal for those, who like me, do much of their reading while commuting.So, if you love William Dalrymple, are an art student, or just want to find out how lucky we are to live in a multi-coloured world, I stongly recommend this book.