Bright Earth: The Technological Innovation of Colors and How it Changes the Expression of Art in the Western History

Despite being in the same category of yellow, what is the difference between gamboge yellow, cadmium yellow, chrome yellow, lemon yellow and Naples yellow? Why do colors have a variety of strange names? What kind of yellow did Vincent Van Gogh choose for his painting Sunflower to convey his intense emotions? Why has this blazing color faded into the relatively dim and dull color that we see today?

These questions have haunted painters and art lovers on many occasions. In the book Bright Earth: The Invention of Color, these questions are answered by a chemist.

Throughout the ages, the interpretation of art has always focused on style, form, and technique. Compared to this, how artists use colors and how they obtain these colors has rarely been questioned. The art historian John Gage once argued that in the study of art history, one of the aspects that has been neglected is the artist’s tools. An essential tool for artists, color, has always lacked appropriate attention. Now, Bright Earth brings us Western art history from the perspective of colors, telling us how the development of science and technology in different eras has expanded the scope of colors, thereby realizing or changing the different forms of creating art. It studies how the demand for art has been stimulated by the development of chemical technology, and how artists and schools were able to accept and use new pigments and new technologies. This kind of reciprocal two-way approach presents us with a unique perspective for understanding Western art history.

In this book, Ball not only professionally and meticulously examines Western art masters and their works, but also provides a new understanding of art history from the perspective of colors and technology. The book Bright Earth has been continuously reprinted in Europe and America and has received unanimous praise from readers, especially artists.