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A review of Color: Stories from the Paintbox

by Victoria Finlay

The story of color - history, tradition and legend centred around the work of artists from around the world

Reviewed by: Guy Brandon
About Guy Brandon

Color: Stories from the Paintbox "Color: Stories from the Paintbox" is not the most riveting of titles for a book, and one that I generally would have left alone without a second glance. How much, after all, can be said about color? I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is not a book about chemical processes or industrial science, or even fashion. It is about the people behind the paints and pigments that have been used for centuries - the people who travelled, researched, invented, developed, spied and stole to produce the colors we are familiar with only in the form of the finished artwork. As such, it is quite unique, and a marvellous book to dip into or read through.

Victoria Finlay's efforts to track down and record the stories of artists and artisans throughout history, from all around the world, makes for a wonderfully captivating and enchanting book. There is very little modern science here, other than a cursory nod to the electromagnetic spectrum for the sake of completeness in the introduction (alchemy, on the other hand, features rather more heavily). Neither is there much from recent years; most of the stories here take place before the 20th century, and often from centuries and even millennia earlier. This is a history book, and like most history outside the sanitised school textbook stuff, it is very colorful. Wars have been financed by and fought because of these paints and pigments; rivalry, romance, intrigue and corruption are all brought to life in the pages of this book.

The author travelled very widely to research her work, meeting and talking to a large number of people. Their stories, and the stories and traditions of their ancestors, are included here in similarly entrancing style. Each chapter looks at a different color or shade (ochre, black and brown, white, and then one for each color of the rainbow), and with it, the lives of people and nations throughout history. Victoria Finlay is a very capable writer, and has worked hard to uncover some interesting stories. Her personal quest to research the history of color is recorded in detail, and her enthusiasm for the subject is infectious. "Color: Stories from the Paintbox" is a wonderful tribute to her efforts, and those of scientists, adventurers and artists through the ages.

Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: Color: Stories from the Paintbox

Copyright © by Guy Brandon, 2002

Reviewed by Guy Brandon:
-- Koba the Dread - by Martin Amis
-- The Eagle's Shadow - by Mark Hertsgaard
-- Human Instinct - How our primeval impulses shape our modern lives - by Robert Winston
-- Hannibal - by Thomas Harris
-- Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
-- A Clockwork Orange - by Anthony Burgess
-- 2001: A Space Odyssey - by Arthur C. Clarke
-- Color: Stories from the Paintbox - by Victoria Finlay
-- Arcadia - by Tom Stoppard
-- Angry White Pyjamas - by Robert Twigger
-- Lord of the Rings - by J. R. R. Tolkien
-- The Matrix and Philosophy - by William Irwin









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