THE BOOK OF COLOUR CONCEPTS 1686-1963: TWO BOOKS IN ONE BOXED SLIPCASE - VOLUME 1 AND VOLUME 2.

ALEXANDRA LOSKE (ED.) AND SARAH LOWENGARD

ISBN 10: 3836595656 / ISBN 13: 9783836595650

Published by TASCHEN, 2024

About this Item

TWO VOLUMES IN ONE COLOURFUL BOXED SLIPCASE. Both volumes are quarter-bound in a ribbed silk style material, with decorative paper sides and both volumes sit nicely in a boxed slipcase. Both books are virtually brand new, hardly used or read. Volume 1: 419 pages, Vol 2: 420-844 pages. Printed in Italy, Published 2024, each and every Taschen Book plants a seed: Taschen is a carbon neutral publisher. The authors: Alexandra Loske is British-German art historian, writer and museum curator, with a particular interest in the role women in the history of colour. Sarah Lowengard is a historian of technology and science who writes about practical and philosophical engagements with colour. A practising art conservator for more than 40 years and an artisan colour maker for even longer. Both volumes have nice tight bindings, all pages intact, all pages, text and stunning illustrations are in fabulous, clean, readable order. Please note for overseas buyers these books are heavy and therefore postage/shipping overseas may increase from listed postage price depending final destination. Sometimes, when you pick up a book or two, you realise they are special books, the amount of detail, research and information these two volumes hold is beyond belief. In my own humble opinion these two volumes are a work of art in their own right and command a huge amount of respect to have researched and accomplished such amazing knowledge and material that's put into these two books, deserves much credit and acknowledgement. Any interior designer, historian in colour or just interested in colour itself, definitely should have these two reference books in their home or business library.

Seller Inventory # 1685

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE BOOK OF COLOUR CONCEPTS 1686-1963: TWO BOOKS IN ONE BOXED SLIPCASE - VOLUME 1 AND VOLUME 2.
• Publisher: TASCHEN
• Publication Date: 2024
• Language: Multiple languages
• ISBN 10: 3836595656
• ISBN 13: 9783836595650
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

About this title

Synopsis

The earliest forms of human creativity – in carvings, markings, and cave paintings – bear witness to humanity’s engagement with color. Almost as old as these examples is the desire to assign structure, order, and meaning to this universal yet elusive concept, and it is this fascination that unites the works compiled in this expansive edition.

Gathering over 65 rare books and manuscripts from a wealth of institutions, including the most distinguished color collections worldwide, The Book of Colour Concepts takes the reader on a chromatic odyssey across four centuries and over 1,000 images of luscious wheels and globes, painstakingly collated charts, and meticulous diagrams, many of them newly photographed exclusively for this edition. Some of these concepts provide exhaustive taxonomies of color, while others reflect upon the relationship of color and music, or the affinities between color and human emotions.

Seminal works of color theory, such as Isaac Newton’s Opticks and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s hugely significant Zur Farbenlehre, are shown alongside rare and unfamiliar contributions, including the theosophical color systems of Charles Webster Leadbeater and Annie Besant, the comprehensive color ‘dictionary’ of Aloys John Maerz and Morris Rea Paul, and the patchwork combinations of the Japanese costume designer and artist Sanzō Wada.

The two volumes also bring many intriguing and often overlooked works by women into the spotlight, including the radically inventive color “blots” of the English flower painter Mary Gartside and a botanical notebook by the pionieering spiritualist Hilma af Klint.

The color systems that make up this edition are contextualized by introductory essays from editor Alexandra Loske and co-author Sarah Lowengard, while authoritative texts from the editor on the works reproduced set out each concept in further detail. Illuminating the history of color in all its shapes and forms, The Book of Colour Concepts offers a chromatic chronology unparalleled in scope.

About the Authors

Sarah Lowengard is a historian of technology and science who writes about practical and philosophical engagements with colour. A practicing art conservator for more than 40 years and an artisan colour-maker for even longer, Lowengard is a member of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Cooper Union in New York City, and maintains affiliation with several technical art history and analytical art organizations in the United States and abroad.

Alexandra Loske is a British-German art historian, writer, and museum curator, with a particular interest in the role of women in the history of colour. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Sussex, and is currently Curator of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. Loske has lectured and been published widely on colour and other topics, and has curated a number of exhibitions, including “Regency Colour and Beyond, 1785–1845” at the Royal Pavilion in 2014.