Radiolab Podcast on Color
Great one-hour podcast that explains what color is, how different animals perceive it, whether some people have super color perception, etc.
Books on Color in Art
Chromaphilia: The Story of Colour in Art by Call Number: N7432.7 .P38 2017
Color: A Course in the Art of Mixing Colors by
This guide distills the enormous existing knowledge about color theory into a practical method of working with color to produce harmonious combinations. Using techniques tested and honed in her five-day intensive color workshops, Edwards provides a basic understanding of how to see color, how to use it, and - for those involved in art, painting, or design - how to mix and combine hues.
Call Number: ND1488 .E35 2004
Color: A Natural History of the Palette by
Discover the tantalizing true stories behind your favorite colors. For example: Cleopatra used saffron—a source of the color yellow—for seduction. Extracted from an Afghan mine, the blue “ultramarine” paint used by Michelangelo was so expensive he couldn’t afford to buy it himself. Since ancient times, carmine red—still found in lipsticks and Cherry Coke today—has come from the blood of insects.
Call Number: ND1488 .F56 2004
Color: A Visual History from Newton to Modern Color Matching Guides by Call Number: QC494.7 .L67 2019
Color Chart: Reinventing Color, 1950 to Today by
Color Chart celebrates a paradox: the lush beauty that results when contemporary artists assign colour decisions to chance, readymade source or arbitrary system. Midway through the 20th century, long-held convictions regarding the spiritual truth or scientific validity of particular colours gave way to an excitement about colour as a mass-produced and standardized commercial product.
Call Number: N7432.7 .T46 2008
Color Scheme: An Irreverent History of Art and Pop Culture in Color Palettes by Call Number: ND1490 .Y69 2021
Contemporary Color: Theory and Use by
Combining a solid grounding in traditional color theory and a thorough exploration of effective color use in digital applications and 3D design work, this introduction to contemporary color text is a must have for all art students.
Call Number: ND1488 .B575 2012
Foundations of Color by Call Number: N7432.7 .D39 2015
Interaction of Color, 2 vols. by
One of the most influential books on color ever published, Josef Albers’s Interaction of Color is a masterwork. Originally issued in 1963 as a limited-edition set of commentary and 150 silkscreened color plates, the book introduced generations of students, artists, designers, and collectors to Albers’s unique approach to complex principles.
Call Number: REF ND1489 .A4 2009
Pantone +Plus Series Color Bridge by Call Number: REF Z258 .P36 2016
The Secret Lives of Color by
In this book, Kassia St. Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colors and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilization. Across fashion and politics, art and war, the secret lives of color tell the vivid story of our culture.
Call Number: BF789.C7 S64 2017
Books on Color in Design
Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Color Works by
This is the go-to guide for designers as it outlines and details the essential color design skills needed to create successful, meaningful, and aesthetically compelling designs. Along with hands-on projects, it offers unique insights into strategy and business when working in the real world with real clients.
Call Number: NK1548 .O63 2014
Color Design by
Designers know that color is an extremely vital part of any design project and not a subject to be taken lightly. For better or for worse, it affects moods and elicits reactions. Color Design Workbook invites readers to explore color through the language of professionals. jargon and showcases the work of top designers and the brilliant and inspiring use of color in their design work.
Call Number: NC1000 .S76 2006
The Color Revolution by
When the fashion industry declares that lime green is the new black, or instructs us to "think pink!," it is not the result of a backroom deal forged by a secretive cabal of fashion journalists, designers, manufacturers, and the editor of Vogue. It is the latest development of a color revolution that has been unfolding for more than a century.
Call Number: TS171.4 .B57 2012
Pantone: The 20th Century in Color by
Pantone, the worldwide color authority, invites you on a rich visual tour of 100 transformative years. From the Pale Gold (15-0927 TPX) and Almost Mauve (12-2103 TPX) of the 1900 Universal Exposition in Paris to the Rust (18-1248 TPX) and Midnight Navy (19-4110 TPX) of the countdown to the Millennium, the 20th century brimmed with color.
Call Number: NK1548 .E39 2011
Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color by
This authoritative guide presents hundreds of color combinations and color principles needed to create effective designs. Every lesson is demonstrated by example, enabling designers of all specialties and levels of experience to make the best color choices for every type of design.
Call Number: BF789.C7 E386 2000
The V&A Book of Color by Design by Call Number: NK1548 .V83 2020
Books on the Science & Psychology of Color
Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Color by
In Bright Earth, Philip Ball brings together the themes of art and science to show that chemical technology and the use of color in art have always existed in a symbiotic relationship that has shaped both their courses throughout history. By tracing their co-evolution, Ball reveals how art is more of a science, and science more of an art, than is commonly appreciated on either side of the fence.
Call Number: N7432.7 .B35 2003
Chromophobia by
The central argument of Chromophobia is that a chromophobic impulse - a fear of corruption or contamination through color - lurks within much Western cultural and intellectual thought.
Call Number: N7432.7 .B36 2000
Color and Meaning: Art, Science, and Symbolism by
Is color just a physiological reaction, a sensation resulting from different wave lengths of light on receptors in our eyes? Does color have an effect on our feelings? The phenomenon of color is examined in extraordinary new ways in John Gage's latest book.
Call Number: ND1488 .G344 1999
Color Science and the Visual Arts by
“A curator, a paintings conservator, a photographer, and a conservation scientist walk into a bar.” What happens next? In lively and accessible prose, color science expert Roy S. Berns helps the reader understand complex color-technology concepts and offers solutions to problems that occur when art is displayed, conserved, imaged, or reproduced."
Call Number: N8560 .B47 2016
Light and Color by Call Number: QC357.2 .R34 1971
The New Munsell Student Color Set by
Albert Munsell's system of colour notation has been taught for nearly a century, but the applications and uses of the system are constantly changing. This text teaches the importance of a standardized language to communicate colour and the factors affecting how we perceive it. The three dimensions of colour - hue, value, and chroma - are also described.
Call Number: REF ND1493.M8 L85 2015
Secret Language of Color: science, nature, history, culture, beauty of red, orange, yellow, green, blue & violet by Call Number: ND1488 .E25 2013
Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing by
In 'Vision and Art', Harvard neurobiologist Margaret Livingstone demonstrates that how we see art depends ultimately on the cells in our eyes and our brains. She begins by offering a comprehensive account of the biology of vision, drawing on the history of science and her own cutting-edge discoveries. She explains cogently how the eye and brain translate different wavelengths of light into the colors and forms of the world around us.
Call Number: N7430.5 .L54 2002
Werner's Nomenclature of Colours by Call Number: ND1510 .S96 2018"The book Charles Darwin used to identify colors in nature during his HMS Beagle voyage."
Online Sources on Color
What Is Color?
Element of Art: Color
Color Names around the World
Color Mixing with Paints
Get Background Information
- Grove Art OnlineEncyclopedia on artists, styles, movements, etc. (Included in Search Everything.)
Search the FLO Catalog for Books, DVDs, etc.
Or Browse Subject Headings:
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Search for items in WorldCat.
Many can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
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Make a Purchase Request.
Color Materials in Archives and Special Collections
Contact the library to view rare items including historical materials connected with MassArt alum and faculty member Albert H. Munsell and the original silkscreen plates of Josef Albers' Interaction of Color.