Colour and Meaning: Art, Science and Symbolism

Description

Is colour just a physiological phenomenon? Does it have an effect on feelings? This vividly written book, the sequel to the award-winning Colour and Culture, is ultimately informed by the conviction that the meaning of colour lies in the particular historical context in which it is experienced and interpreted. John Gage explores the mysteries of themes as diverse as the optical mixing techniques implicit in mosaic, colour-languages in Latin America at the time of the Spanish Conquest and the ideas of Goethe and Runge, Blake and Turner. For students and lecturers in the history of art and culture, for artists and designers, and for psychologists and scientists with a special interest in the subject, John Gage has produced a compelling study of the meaning of colour through the ages.

John Gage was the former Head of the Department of History of Art at Cambridge University. He is an acknowledged international authority on the history of art and colour and has written many books on the subject, including Colour and Culture and Colour and Meaning, both published by Thames & Hudson.

'Continues his brilliant exploration of art, paint, the spectrum and vision' - Marina Warner, Independent on Sunday 'Essential reading' - Nature