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Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide.

Print Price: $115.99

Format:
Paperback
272 pp.
6.125" x 9.25"

ISBN-13:
9780190297220

Copyright Year:
2018

Imprint: OUP US


How Color Works

Color Theory in the Twenty-First Century

Pamela Fraser

How Color Works demonstrates that interest in color is alive and well and shows students of all levels how to create and use color in a sophisticated fashion. This interactive book describes how color contributes to meaning in specific masterful artworks using large full-color illustrations and encourages students to produce color variations of their own in response. Approaching the aesthetics of color in contemporary terms, this text shows how knowledge of color theory is important for both traditional and experimental approaches to art-making.

Readership : Suitable for undergraduate color theory courses.

Reviews

  • "I think this will be a welcome addition to the offerings of color books. Fraser's perspective is unique. Both her background as a recognized painter and her work in teaching will provide a new and needed perspective to color pedagogy."
    --Derrick Buisch, University of Wisconsin

  • "Our relationship to color has changed dramatically over the past 25 years, from the ubiquity of RGB color, to the effects that globalization has had on color symbolism. This book builds off of classic color theory, but contemporizes it by including artists and works that expand on traditional notions of color, as well as acknowledging and exploring its ever-changing relationship to society."
    --Sarah Sutton, Ithaca College

Acknowledgements
List of Illustrations
Introduction
1. Color as Theory
The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries: Context for Discovery
Early Theorists
Charting Color
Newton and the Significance of Light
Color Separation
The Nineteenth Century
Goethe and the Subjective Experience of Colors
Systemizing Color
The Appearance of Color
The Influence of Eugène Delacroix's Color Theories
Breakthroughs in Color Science
Maxwell's Triangle
Hering's Opponent Process Theory
New Interest in Perception
Modern Color Theory
The Munsell System
Color Theory at the Bauhaus
Josef Albers and Pragmatic Color
New Processes, Theories, and Systems

2. Defining Color
Terminology
Light
Surface Characteristics
Perception
The Eye
The Brain
Mapping Perception
Color Systems
Additive Color
Subtractive Color
Partitive Color
Primary Colors
Secondary and Tertiary Colors
The Three Attributes of Color
Hue
Value
Saturation
Tint, Shade, and Tone
Complementary Colors
Contrast Effects
Afterimage
Other Color Properties
Optical
Weight
Color Temperature

3. Sources of Color
Classification
Synthetic Color
Toxicity
Vehicles and Support
Dye
Ink
Paint
Glaze
Colorant Characteristics
Harnessing Light
Color Photography
Color in Film
Digital Color
Atmospheric
Color
4. Colors in Combination
Making Colors
Direct Mixing
Indirect Mixing
Optical Mixture
Glazing
Color and Compositional Organization
Movement
Depth
Volume
Contrast and Harmony
Types of Contrast
Types of Harmony

5. Colors and Ideas
Is Color a Language?
Color Traditions
Color as Figure
Connotations of Color
Synesthesia
Color and Freedom
Material Color
Colors at Play
Black
White
Gray
Green
Yellow
Orange
Red
Magenta
Violet
Blue
Brown
Contested Color
Bibliography
Glossary
Index

There are no Instructor/Student Resources available at this time.

Pamela Fraser is Assistant Professor of Studio Art at the University of Vermont.

Making Sense - Margot Northey and Joan McKibbin
Drawing Essentials - Deborah Rockman
Themes of Contemporary Art - Jean Robertson and Craig McDaniel
Exploring Studio Materials - Mary Hafeli
American Art of the 20th-21st Centuries - Erika Doss
Alternate Processes in Photography - Brian Arnold
Elements and Principles of 4D Art and Design - Ellen Mueller
Why Is That Art? - Terry Barrett

Special Features

  • Hands-on approach includes practice sections and exercises throughout.
  • Covers a wide variety of media including painting, photography, printmaking, ceramics, and sculpture.
  • Balances traditional and contemporary topics, including coverage of digital color alongside traditional print production and media.
  • Full-color illustrations demonstrate the principles discussed in the text.