Color

Edited by Helen Varley
The Knapp Press, Publishers, Los Angeles
The Viking Press, Distributors, New York
1980 ISBN 0-89535-037-8

The Knapp Press writes:

Color is simply the greatest show on earth. Every moment it floods us with information and sensation, delineating everything we see—even our dreams. We use it in countless ways to express ourselves and to assess others. Color reaches the heart, mind and spirit alike. It can be the visceral thrill of scarlet uniform; the pleasure of a Picasso painting; the soul-solace of a violet twilight sky. Some 10,000,000 variations of color may be distinguished by the human eye. For sheer dynamic range, no other medium can touch it. Color is among the richest experiences our sense offer.

But what is color? To the physicist it is light; to the chemist it is dye or pigments. To the physiologist it exists only in the eye of the beholder; and to the psychologist color perception is a function of the brain. Color is universally present, yet its true nature is elusive. The attempt to comprehend it has obsessed some of the greatest minds in history; Aristotle, Newton and Goethe are among those who developed detailed color theories.

A fair measure of every civilization has been the passion and ingenuity with which it has sought and used color. The formulations of certain dyes and pigments were so jealously guarded that their disclosure was punishable by death. The dazzling rise of color technology means that we now live in an age of unprecedented ‘color plenty’. Trade and industry, advertisers and packagers, update their color research constantly, so crucial to profit is the right color. Prodigious choice has also bred more discriminating consumers, eager to learn about the many ways color can improve the quality of life.

Universally present, color is too often taken for granted, its possibilities scarcely tapped. People fall into comfortable patterns with clothes, cosmetics and décor, hesitating to expand safe, small circles of color. To them red means warmth, blue means cold. It is easier to feel than to think about. Yet the rewards of experimentation can be spectacular.

The fresh insights provided by Color help you to manage this powerful source for maximum satisfaction. By understanding how colors relate to one another, and to you personally, you can improve your appearance, and surroundings, enhance your sense of well being and do justice to your individuality.

Color is unique tool for raising your color consciousness. Never before has one volume presented the subject from such diverse angles, providing the ideal basis for both an immediate and lifelong study. Color’s bonus is the way in which the whole exceeds the sum of its very handsome parts. When the relations of physics to art to fashion to psychology gradually coalesce, your perception is enhanced as if your eyes had been reborn. Everyday sights are charged with a new, unimaginably richer, dimension. After Color your world will never look the same again.