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Red Yellow Blue: Colors in Art
This fun-filled book teaches young readers all about color by leading them on a fascinating journey through the history of western art.
What better way to learn about art’s greatest masterpieces than through the lens of color? From the richest red through the most royal purple to the cheeriest yellow, this book explores how artists through the ages have used color in concept, symbolism, composition and theme. As they read the book, children are invited to wander through a virtual art gallery where each room features a different color. Beginning with black and white, going through the primary colors, the mixed colors, and finishing with brown and gold, the book presents the evolution of pigment in art works from cave drawings to contemporary paintings. In addition, entertaining puzzles, quizzes and activities will spark children’s creativity. Beautifully designed for reading alone or with an adult, Red Yellow Blue gives children access to the complex world of color in a language and style they will respond to and enjoy.
What better way to learn about art’s greatest masterpieces than through the lens of color? From the richest red through the most royal purple to the cheeriest yellow, this book explores how artists through the ages have used color in concept, symbolism, composition and theme. As they read the book, children are invited to wander through a virtual art gallery where each room features a different color. Beginning with black and white, going through the primary colors, the mixed colors, and finishing with brown and gold, the book presents the evolution of pigment in art works from cave drawings to contemporary paintings. In addition, entertaining puzzles, quizzes and activities will spark children’s creativity. Beautifully designed for reading alone or with an adult, Red Yellow Blue gives children access to the complex world of color in a language and style they will respond to and enjoy.
- GenresArtNonfiction
96 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 12, 2012
A look at colors in art -- what colors mean in terms of mood and symbols -- warm and cool colors -- associations with different colors -- the color wheel -- complementary colors -- color origins and the science of color. Bright and vivid reproductions of famous artworks. Features exercises designed to get the reader to look closer, to participate. Did you know that blue used to be the color little girls wore (like the Virgin Mary) and pink was for boys (little red, the color of royalty)? Did you know that orange can make you feel warmer, stimulating your circulation? Or that Yellow is the easiest color to see with your peripheral vision (think taxis)? Lots of great information here . . .
November 2, 2024
Good look at what colors have meant to people throughout history. I think it’s good for middle school readers.
Learned some things:
Black was considered evil, so for many years people didn’t paint in black. Which meant no shadows (8). Green used to be another color not looked upon favorably because it wasn’t a primary color (53). Green supposedly improves concentration (55). Hearts were originally green, based on ivy leaves (54).
In the 1800s, people thought white was the color of antiquity because Greek/Roman statues were white. But it was only because the paint flaked away that the statues were white (10).
Isaac Newton called the light through a prism a “spectrum” which meant specter/ghost in Latin (26).
Orange makes a room feel warmer (67). Blue makes you feel colder and more awake (35, 67). Cold colors like blue and purple give the impression that they’re farther away than warm colors (38).
Yellow was the color of danger. Judas is painted in yellow because he betrayed Jesus (43).
Tyrian purple was the most expensive color because it came from snails (16). The second most expensive color was “ultramarine” blue, called this because it had to be acquired from crushed lapis lazuli transported beyond the sea from Afghanistan (30). One of the few people worthy of being painted in this blue was Mother Mary. Another rare/expensive color was Indian yellow, which came from sick cow urine in India (45).
Because of Mary being painted in blue, blue became a girl color. Pink was for boys because it was a lighter shade of red, which was the color of rulers who were male (75). I thought that this changed when Barbie was invented, but the book said that it changed when sailors and male workers began wearing blue (75).
Apparently many babies can see music in color, but most lose this ability later in life (76). I don’t have that ability, but i think certain sounds have a taste to them. Like minor keys sound sour.
Learned some things:
Black was considered evil, so for many years people didn’t paint in black. Which meant no shadows (8). Green used to be another color not looked upon favorably because it wasn’t a primary color (53). Green supposedly improves concentration (55). Hearts were originally green, based on ivy leaves (54).
In the 1800s, people thought white was the color of antiquity because Greek/Roman statues were white. But it was only because the paint flaked away that the statues were white (10).
Isaac Newton called the light through a prism a “spectrum” which meant specter/ghost in Latin (26).
Orange makes a room feel warmer (67). Blue makes you feel colder and more awake (35, 67). Cold colors like blue and purple give the impression that they’re farther away than warm colors (38).
Yellow was the color of danger. Judas is painted in yellow because he betrayed Jesus (43).
Tyrian purple was the most expensive color because it came from snails (16). The second most expensive color was “ultramarine” blue, called this because it had to be acquired from crushed lapis lazuli transported beyond the sea from Afghanistan (30). One of the few people worthy of being painted in this blue was Mother Mary. Another rare/expensive color was Indian yellow, which came from sick cow urine in India (45).
Because of Mary being painted in blue, blue became a girl color. Pink was for boys because it was a lighter shade of red, which was the color of rulers who were male (75). I thought that this changed when Barbie was invented, but the book said that it changed when sailors and male workers began wearing blue (75).
Apparently many babies can see music in color, but most lose this ability later in life (76). I don’t have that ability, but i think certain sounds have a taste to them. Like minor keys sound sour.
September 16, 2013
The beauty of this book is one of many reminders why I'm glad I decided to teach art to my children. They attend regular school the rest of the time, but I decided to pull them out for art class period after I discovered last year that their art teacher was so (fill in word for yourself!) that neither my then-1st grader nor my then-3rd grader recalled the three primary colors or what resulted from mixing them. Thus last year we immediately studied color, and we're revisiting it again in this year's "Mom-Art" class.
This book has lush full color illustrations on every page, is arranged by color in an interesting style for primary-grade children to read and discuss with a parent, and has simple and fun color-themed activities throughout. It never dumbs down the discussion about art or color. I especially liked the light experiment using milk in water on p. 33.
So why a 4 instead of a 5? Two odd reasons that might cause other reviewers to snark me. First, if the title had been "Colors in WESTERN Art" or "Colors in EUROPEAN Art", I think I would have given it a 5 because it would have been exactly what it was claiming to be. However, there was not one non-European work or artist that I could find in the book. It appears that it was originally written in German (the translation is quite good), which explains the complete Euro-centrism. And hey, I'm a HUGE fan of the European canon, don't assume I'm not, but there's a heck of a lot of gorgeous color in Hiroshige and Calder and aboriginal art and Panamanian molas and ... I could go on.
Second, despite the beautiful quality of the paper and color printing in the hardback version I checked out of the library, the binding is giving up quickly. The pages and cover of my borrowed copy are in superb condition, so I don't think the book has been abused, but several of the little sections have loosened out of the binding and are only stuck by hand inside the book. Shame.
So, great book on color in European art - but 'ware the binding quality! And don't expect anything but Europe.
This book has lush full color illustrations on every page, is arranged by color in an interesting style for primary-grade children to read and discuss with a parent, and has simple and fun color-themed activities throughout. It never dumbs down the discussion about art or color. I especially liked the light experiment using milk in water on p. 33.
So why a 4 instead of a 5? Two odd reasons that might cause other reviewers to snark me. First, if the title had been "Colors in WESTERN Art" or "Colors in EUROPEAN Art", I think I would have given it a 5 because it would have been exactly what it was claiming to be. However, there was not one non-European work or artist that I could find in the book. It appears that it was originally written in German (the translation is quite good), which explains the complete Euro-centrism. And hey, I'm a HUGE fan of the European canon, don't assume I'm not, but there's a heck of a lot of gorgeous color in Hiroshige and Calder and aboriginal art and Panamanian molas and ... I could go on.
Second, despite the beautiful quality of the paper and color printing in the hardback version I checked out of the library, the binding is giving up quickly. The pages and cover of my borrowed copy are in superb condition, so I don't think the book has been abused, but several of the little sections have loosened out of the binding and are only stuck by hand inside the book. Shame.
So, great book on color in European art - but 'ware the binding quality! And don't expect anything but Europe.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews