The Brilliant History of Color in Art

Readers of this book will revel in a treasure trove of fun filled facts and anecdotes. Were it not for Cleopatra, for instance, purple might not have become the royal colour of the Western world. Without Napoleon, the black graphite pencil might never have found its way into the hands of Cézanne. Without mango eating cows, the sunsets of Turner might have lost their shimmering glow. And were it not for the pigment cobalt blue, the halls of museums worldwide might still be filled with forged Vermeers.