Have you been enjoying The Brilliant History of Color in Art?? We’ve gotten some enthusiastic feedback on @larsbookclub , our Instagram feed! Apparently, you love to learn about the colors around us and throughout history just as much as we do. Well, we hit the jackpot with this book in regards to “extras”. The J. Paul Getty Museum features this book on their website, along with art lessons for kids, a self-guided museum tour, discussion questions, AND even a quiz! What did you REALLY learn about these colors? 😉 Take the quiz and find out! Find the Getty’s great educational site here. We included a couple of their questions below, but be sure to head to their site for more! Don’t forget to print out this month’s incredible artwork by our featured illustrator, Jennifer Bouron.
1. From ancient times, many prized colors were shipped over great distances, probably at great cost. Has the ease of access to color today made them less valuable? How do you think access to color has changed the way artists work?
2. Colors in art do not stay the same. The author suggests that when you look at a painting, in a tiny way you are changing it. What does she mean? Should certain art be hidden away to preserve it? Why or why not?
3. The author states “colors are just effects, created in the world inside our heads.” What do you think she means by this?
4. If you could, what “extinct” or retired color from the past would you choose to use and why?
Go to the Getty’s site for more great questions to discuss and think about!
If you loved The Brilliant History of Color in Art by Victoria Finlay, you might also like…
The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St. Clair (to be released in the U.S. this October)
Chromaphilia: The Story of Color in Art by Stella Paul
Color: A Natural History of the Palette by Victoria Finlay (this is a much more expanded version of this month’s book – if you enjoyed it and want more fascinating details (plus a kind of travelogue as she researched colors), read this!!)
Indigo: Egyptian Mummies to Blue Jeans by Jenny Balfour-Paul
A Perfect Red: Empire, Espionage, and the Quest for the Color of Desire by Amy Butler Greenfield
Download “The Brilliant History of Color in Art” print here and the bookmark here!
Photography by Anna Killian | Post by Julie Richardson | Illustration by Jennifer Bouron