Using Color in Art

Children's Literature - Children's Literature

Well-known artworks are used to point out how artists have created certain effects. In Color, Richardson tells readers that, in days past, colors were expensive and some artists, like Lorenzo Lotto, used their best colors in the foreground and cheaper paints for the background. In J. M. W. Turner's painting Fighting Téméraire, the colors of the sunset are shown in many ways--the sky, reflections in the water, and reflections off of the tug boat. Monet painted his pond many times, showing how the colors changed with the light. Other artists used different techniques, such as Seurat with dots of color and Renoir who used blurry brush strokes to make colors quiver in the light, while Derain used carefully chosen, strong, bright, colors in his pictures. The book offers an explanation of primary colors and how opposites like blue and orange can make each other appear brighter. The last section of the book offers tips and challenges kids to try their hand at painting. The final section offers more information about the paintings used to illustrate the author's points. For example, Turner's colors set the mood in his painting--the setting sun salutes a gallant ship from the Battle of Trafalgar while a rising moon presages a changing world. There is a glossary, list of web sites and an index. Part of a series of six books entitled "How to Look at Art." 2000 (orig. 1997), Gareth Stevens, Ages 8 up, $19.93. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot