The world according to color A cultural history

Working with a palette of history, art, literature, physics, linguistics, and physiology, art historian Fox renders a masterwork on the meaning of color in human life. Easily understood science is presented (photons, retinal cone cells, wavelengths). Artists (Monet, Titian, Turner), writers (Shakespeare, Poe, Pamuk), and religious texts are all present in this discussion of the significance ascribed to colors. Worldwide, blue is the most well-liked. Perhaps connotations of sky, sea, and serenity clinch its victory. In large part due to the marvelous molecule chlorophyll, green evokes renewal and environmental attention. Purple is uncommon in nature but has been extensively synthesized chemically. Red has long been symbolic of dominance, mostly through its association with blood. Fox acknowledges that while humans have a spectrum of possible skin colors, "beneath the surface, all of us are red" due to our blood's hemoglobin. Yellow--the sun, gold, saffron--occupies a "precarious position between the divine and disagreeable" as "the world generally inclines to yellow" (think old paper, aging teeth.). Infused with descriptions of all sorts of hues and pigments, including ultramarine, ochre, and magenta; presented in wonderfully kaleidoscopic writing; and fresh in its perspective, Fox's history expounds on the symbols, metaphors, traditions, and exploitations of color.

The colors that surround us are so ubiquitous that we often fail to see them. But opening our eyes can give us new insights and a different sense of ourselves. In his first book for a trade audience, academic Fox casts a wide net, aiming to tell the story of humanity through the symbolism of seven colors: black, red, yellow, blue, white, purple, and green. He introduces the subject with chapters on how colors work at a scientific level, examining how the spectrum was slowly defined and understood. This is interesting stuff, but Fox's real interest is social construction. Much of the meaning of black, associated with evil, stems from biblical references. Red often means blood and violence as well as sexual attractiveness, although the Chinese tie it to prestige and wealth. Yellow is often associated with the sun but also has links to villainy: Think of the yellow cloak of Judas in the famous Giotto fresco. For ages, blue, as an artistic color, was derived from somewhat tame vegetable dyes, but the discovery of Prussian blue, the first synthetic pigment, changed art styles ranging from the impressionists to Japanese woodcuts. White has often meant purity in everything from faith to soap. Purple, long associated with royalty--due to its incredible cost, before synthetic versions--really only came into its own when painters like Monet used it to add depth and texture to landscapes. Green has historically been tied to fertile gardens, which has evolved to its current connection with environment-based political parties and issues. Interestingly, the Quran describes green as the color of paradise. Diving deep into the background, Fox illustrates his points with a wide range of visuals, from the chemical structure of dyes to the pristine-white marble sculptures of Michelangelo. The color story, he notes, shows no sign of ending--as it should be. Through meticulous research and authoritative writing, Fox helps us to see the world around us in a different light. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.