Books written by Philip Ball, science writer. Writing at the interface of science and culture.
Selection of articles Water; Patterns; Colour; Nanoscience; Materials; Physics of Society; Alchemy; Other
 
 
BOOKS
Bright Earth: Art and the Invention of Colour
This book investigates how the invention of new pigments and colouring materials since times of antiquity have affected the course of Western art. The creative potential of painters has always been constrained by the colours on their palette. Several major innovations in art, such as the Venetian style of painting during the Renaissance and the emergence of Impressionism in the late nineteenth century, can be linked directly to the availability of new pigments. Often neglected in studies of art history, the materials of the artist provide a new perspective on how art has evolved and how science, commerce, industry and art have interacted throughout the centuries.

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Bright Earth - The Invention of Colour, by Philip Ball, USA book coverBright Earth - The Invention of Colour, by Philip Ball: UK cover
USA cover / UK cover

Now reissued by Bodley Head in 2008

Bright Earth - The Invention of Colour, by Philip Ball, USA book cover