Almost every page throws up an unexpected detail and insight.

If you want to fall back in love with colour, read The Secret Lives of Colour ( SUNDAY TELEGRAPH)Ī dazzling and vibrant history of colour, from Van Gogh's wilting yellow sunflowers to Turner's deadly green and Picasso's darkest period ( MAIL ON SUNDAY)Įven Farrow and Ball don't know as much about the secret lore of colour as Kassia St Clair. 'synopsis' may belong to another edition of this title. Across fashion and politics, art and war, The Secret Lives of Colour tell the vivid story of our culture. In this book Kassia St Clair has turned her lifelong obsession with colours and where they come from (whether Van Gogh's chrome yellow sunflowers or punk's fluorescent pink) into a unique study of human civilisation. From blonde to ginger, the brown that changed the way battles were fought to the white that protected against the plague, Picasso's blue period to the charcoal on the cave walls at Lascaux, acid yellow to kelly green, and from scarlet women to imperial purple, these surprising stories run like a bright thread throughout history. The Secret Lives of Colour tells the unusual stories of the 75 most fascinating shades, dyes and hues. Very hard painting the hallway magnolia after this inspiring primer.' Every colour has a story, and here are some of the most alluring, alarming, and thought-provoking. 'A mind-expanding tour of the world without leaving your paintbox.

The secret lives of colour book