I really enjoyed reading about how the color blue changed through the ages. . Very informative. Newton saw that this theory was flawed, and while in isolation as the bubonic plague ravaged Europe, began testing the properties of white light … The rise of blue's prevalence in heraldry, paintings, and cloth, from the 11th century, was a profound shift. . This book is filled with such fun facts. It was culturally and socially unacceptable to wear blue. In art history, bright blue was used to emphasize otherworldliness. It appears people did not see blue or at least react to blue until the middle ages. As people began to associate blue with the Virgin Mary, the color became a powerful element in church decoration and symbolism. Red, white and black were the only recognized colors for ce. A beautifully illustrated visual and cultural history of the color blue throughout the ages Blue has had a long and topsy-turvy history in the Western world. It seems that every single ancient language introduced black and white first, then red, and after this yellow and green in no particular order. Beautifully illustrated, Blue tells the intriguing story of our favorite color and the cultures that have hated it, loved it, and made it essential to some of our greatest works of art. 2A Jiangtai Road, Chaoyang District What was most surprising was that blue was ignored as a color for thousands of years. Kevin Loria of Business Insider Australia has gone one step further by tackling the history of human perception of the color blue. A beautifully illustrated visual and cultural history of the color blue throughout the ages. The basis of Loria's feature was Colors, an episode of the Radiolab podcast. Haint blue is a collection of pale shades of blue-green that are traditionally used to paint porch ceilings in the southern United States.. There’s more to this color than just a pretty hue! I never thought I'd find myself reading a "history of a color," but a recent review of another entry by this author (red, to be exact), was surprisingly interesting, so I thought I'd give this first volume a try. Pastoureau was born in Paris on 17 June 1947. The rise of blue's prevalence in heraldry, paintings, and cloth, from the 11th century, was a profound shift. A specialist in the history of colors, symbols, and heraldry, he is the author of many books, including Red, Green, and Black (all Princeton) and The Devil's Cloth: A History of Stripes. United Kingdom Red, white and black were the only recognized colors for centuries. History Of Colour "A world without colour is not just a drab and dreary world, it is also a dangerous, unpredictable world in which it is easy to be poisoned. Microhistory: Social Histories of Just One Thing, 33 Sweeping Multigenerational Family Dramas. They all describe things we would call blue, but always in a different way and without calling them blue. These are the questions that M. Pastoureau answers in this sumptuously illustrate. If you like history (yes) and if you love blue (yes), then this book should be on your shelves. The author begins this history with audacious claims about the irrelevance (p.10) of human biology to the "process of ascribing meaning to color", insisting instead that color is a "social phenomenon". Blue’s story begins with lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone of intense blue color, found in a remote area of Afghanistan. Since, the color has continued to evolve, and its association with calming, natural elements like the sky and clear water have solidified it as a universal favorite among artists, interior designers and other disciplines. fascinating; did you know Europeans never wore blue until the Middle Ages or later? Many medieval artists preferred to depict water as green rather than blue. Unit 2702, NUO Centre Unlikely as it seems, this coffee table book was a fascinating look at how blue came to be the most popular color among artists and in society, and taught me for the first time that there were sumptuary laws in various nations at various times designed to restrict the type and color of clothing commoners could wear so they didn't compete with the raiment of royalty. I just found it interesting and the pictures were gorgeous. Who would have thought that the color blue was not only hated but not named, or tolerated until the 14th century. Be the first to ask a question about Blue. For example red was made from madder, a rusty red, and was the most common with yellow and black till the middle ages? As people began to associate blue with the Virgin Mary, the color became a powerful element in church decoration and symbolism. As I recall, one factoid was that the popularity of black and white for men's clothing, still epitomized in the tuxedo, came from sumptuary laws that restricted wealthy merchants to those colors. The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now cite it as their favorite color. The author begins this history with audacious claims about the irrelevance (p.10) of human biology to the "process of ascribing meaning to color", insisting instead that color is a "social phenomenon". Van Gogh would mix his own orange hues and use them to contrast with the blues and purples he incorporated into his work. The Indigo dye for a deep, rich, vibrant blue was too expensive to ship from the middle east. After reading "the black", I read "the blue". Blue was reborn as a royal color in the twelfth century and functioned as a formidable political and military force through the French Revolution. I think he really goes to far with some of his conclusions especially based off of the sources he uses –– but it was really interesting and new for me, so I don't mind. The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now pick it as their favorite color. The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now cite it as their favorite color. There is ample evidence that the structure of color perception. But in the Gullah culture of the lowcountry, the most visible and powerful form of defense against haints is the color blue, derived from indigo, which holds a deeply spiritual — and equally dark — meaning rooted in the history of the early American slave economy. The Rise of Indigo Dye in America. I'm still not sure how or when blue went from being a unconsidered, un-respected color to being the most popular color in the Western world, but perhaps that is one of the things that can never be fully known considering social changes weren't really documented deliberately in the past but have to be inferred by what is considered important enough to put down in writing of some sort. collaborated with a Parisian paint supplier to invent a synthetic version of ultramarine blue, and this color became the French artist’s signature. Any history of color is, above all, a social history. (In another version of the story, when Kennedy found out that the Air Force had proposed a presidential livery for the plane in red and gold, he balked that those colors were too imperial.) Start by marking “Blue: The History of a Color” as Want to Read: Error rating book. No pun intended. Pastoureau has written a whole series of books on the histories of specific colors. China Refresh and try again. It is beyond dimensions.” My co-host Steve Goldstein spoke with ASU Associate Professor Theresa Devine, who has a background in color theory, about the new blue and the history of other blues. I was not too interested in these facts. Monet incorporated orange into his sunsets, while Toulouse-Lautrec used the color to symbolize the frenetic energy of Parisian dance halls. I’m besotted with GREEN: The History of a Color by French art historian Michel Pastoureau. That said, totally bizarre, the first history of its kind I've read, but even though this isn't really something I would have said I was interested in, it does its job very well, and successfully made me think about some new things related to the ideology of color, for example. Unlikely as it seems, this coffee table book was a fascinating look at how blue came to be the most popular color among artists and in society, and taught me for the first time that there were sumptuary laws in various nations at various times designed to restrict the type and color of clothing commoners could wear so they didn't compete with the raiment of royalty. And biological facts, like genetic color deficiencies, surely affect the "meaning" of colors for those with the deficiencies. But the author tends to repeat the same insights over and over again, as if padding the page count. Kandinsky, a connoisseur of color, believed wholeheartedly in its spiritual properties: “The deeper the blue becomes, the more strongly it calls man towards the infinite, awakening in him a desire for the pure and, finally, for the supernatural.” He wasn’t alone in this sentiment. Beginning with the almost total absence of blue from ancient Western art and language, the story moves to medieval Europe. The ancients hardly used it or talked about it, except at times in Egypt. (© Jaroon/iStock) So fascinating! The tradition originated with the Gullah in Georgia and South Carolina.The ceiling of the slave quarters at the Owens–Thomas House in Savannah, Georgia, built in the early nineteenth century, were painted haint blue. That said, totally bizarre, the first history of its kind I've read, but even though this isn't really something I would have said I was interested in, it does its job very well, and successfully made me think about some new things related to the ideology of color, for example. No pun intended. The book is full of exquisite color pictures and historical descriptions. He also had some interesting ways of looking at how historians and sociologists look at color and how our biases of today..well...color the way we look at the past. Blue was helped along by being unregulated... a lack of sumptuary laws regarding who could wear it, or how it could be used symbolically in art. Pastoureau investigates how the ever-changing role of blue in society has been reflected in manuscripts, stained glass, heraldry, clothing, paintings, and popular culture. The price of this book at the local book store is $270 which indicates how well thought out and laid out this book was published. This blue already has widespread applications in a number of industries, including commercial paints for buildings, fashion, art, and even cosmetics. Blue … Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. In this fascinating history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the changing meanings of blue from its rare appearance in prehistoric art to its international ubiquity today. This book is as beautiful as the previous one. Blue was a color the Romans associated with barbarism. Share Pin. I guess the book must have been published first in France. new-blue-show-sg-20210222_0.mp3 ; Download mp3 (10.39 MB) Oregon State University. Michel Pastoureau is a historian and emeritus director of studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études de la Sorbonne in Paris. I feel he lost the thread of his book...or changed it towards the end and got a little more caught up in specific points in history or a specific artist. Around this time, color was thought to be a product of the mixing of light and dark, with red being the “most light”, and blue the “most dark”. By Steve Goldstein. The pictures, while an impressive survey of paintings, somehow don't make his points come alive. I just realized I had never posted this. It is heavy on French history -- I would have happily traded several pages about the French flag for more on other topics -- but overall it's a fascinating study, well-translated (so far as I can tell) and beautifully illustrated. The big story is that all cultures had a 3 color system consisting of white, black, and red. There is ample evidence that the structure of color perception is dependent on the fact that humans are trichromats, and that facts about color opposition (red is opposed to green, blue to yellow) are due to the role of opponent-processes in the human visual system. We’d love your help. Egyptian blue—the first color to be synthetically produced—was invented in Ancient Egypt around 2,200 B.C., around the same time the Great Pyramids were built. I always enjoy Pastoureau's lavishly illustrated books about the history of color--this one traces blue, neglected by the ancient world in favor of white, red and black, associated with barbarians because of woad and indigo, but rehabilitated by Saint-Denis' decorating scheme and elevated to the signature color of the Virgin Mary and the French monarchy. I think he really goes to far. Updated: Monday, February 22, 2021 - 12:02pm. Tweet. It is rarely found in bronze age art. While this book is full of pictures, it is very imformative. In this fascinating history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the changing mean Pastoureau's other books were already on my "to-read" list, but after finishing this one they've all jumped up to the top. Blue pigment occurs naturally in exactly one form: lapis lazuli. Lavishly illustrated. Princeton Asia (Beijing) Consulting Co., Ltd. Directions, Princeton Asia (Beijing) Consulting Co., Ltd. not for everyone; it's a specialized subject. It is a metaphor for the eternal struggle between the haves and have-nots. Want to learn about something you never thought about before? "—Jori Finkel and Jonathon S. Keats, 41 William Street Advertisement. I never thought I'd find myself reading a "history of a color," but a recent review of another entry by this author (red, to be exact), was surprisingly interesting, so I thought I'd give this first volume a try. Blue is the color of the sky, bodies of water, probably a wall in your office,and a T-shirt, but a recent research paper discussed in Science Alert explained that until relatively recently in human history nobody saw the color “blue.” Until relatively recently in human history nobody saw the color “blue.” The story of a color is, of course, the story of how humans perceive that color and, comparatively, other colors. Who would have thought that the color blue was not only hated but not named, or tolerated until the 14th century. Renoir would use yellow to add shine and definition to hair, or to bring out the most important element of a painting, such as the boat in The Skiff (1875). The history of the colors purple and blue goes beyond amazing. Our culture accepts it primarily due to the unversal acceptance of blue jeans beginning with Levi Strauss in the 1850s. In particular, his explanations of how earlier cultures thought about/related to color and incorporated it in to their philosophical and material cultures were eye opening and foreign and really interesting. Our culture accepts it primarily due to the unversal acceptance of blue jeans beginning with Levi Strauss in the 1850s. International Klein Blue, a matte version of ultramarine, was developed by … Finally, Pastoureau follows blue into contemporary times, when military clothing gave way to the everyday uniform of blue jeans and blue became the universal and unifying color of the Earth as seen from space. Prior to that time it was thought to be a "hot" color. Nice book - very interesting and beautifully done. Beginning with the almost total absence of blue from ancient Western art and language, the story moves to medieval Europe. A colorful history In the West, pink first became fashionable in the mid-1700s, when European aristocrats -- both men and women -- wore faint, powdery variants as a symbol of luxury and class. Fascinating and very approachable for a lay audience. It's hard to comprehend that the sea used to be depicted as green, and blue had no association with divinity or purity. Prussian Blue; and in five letters Diesbach, one of two inventors indicated by Stahl (5), is mentioned (Frisch writes his name “Diessbach” or “Dieszbach”). Blue’s story begins with lapis lazuli, a semiprecious stone of intense blue color, found in a remote area of Afghanistan. It talked about how blue meant different things throughout history, how it was made and used throughout history. The first color wheel was presented by Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century when he first discovered the visible spectrum of light. Interesting book about the color blue. The author does a fine job illustrating the second claim throughout the book, showing how attitudes towards colors change over time with changes in religious belief and social practices. I just realized I had never posted this. It is rarely found in bronze age art. I'm still not sure how or when blue went from being a unconsidered, un-respected color to being the most popular color in the Western world, but perhaps that is one of the things that can never be fully known considering social. The study of colors have often been neglected and this book does an amazing, precise and trustworthy job. For Homer, the sea was “wine-red”. Gives the reader new insight as to why artists used the color in some of their most important work. At this time, the Church decided to color-code the saints, and Mary was given a blue robe. and continuing to this day, people have found creative ways to produce blue for artistic expression. The big story is that all cultures had a 3 color system consisting of white, black, and red. Why? A lot of it is about the development of favored/prominent colors in general, not just blue, but that makes sense since this was his first "history." The color blue was costly in the Renaissance; donors could flaunt their wealth by requiring liberal use of only the best blues in commissioned work. Blue was helped along by being unregulated... a lack o. In China the colour blue generally signifies the natural world, springtime, youth and immortality. Therefore the Madonna was most usually enswathed in blue. Published: Monday, February 22, 2021 - 11:44am. Once considered a hot color, it is now icy cool. Now it is considered to be a "cool" color. Roy G. Biv: An Exceedingly Surprising Book About Color by Jude Stewart takes a clever look into the meaning of color and the emotional and social impact color has on our lives. These are the questions that M. 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