ARTH2324 · Fine Arts

A History of Color

Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences

Color is a fact of nature, but its making and meaning have changed dramatically over time. In this course, we will track the history of color over a five-hundred-year period, from the Renaissance to the present. Though we will focus on Europe and America, one of the recurring themes of the course will be the inseparability of color from globalization, colonialism, and imperialism. Artists such as Titian, Monet, Van Gogh, Amy Sillman, and Anish Kapoor will serve as our points of entry into this history, and we will situate their work within the scientific, philosophical, and social contexts that gave their use of color its meaning. Along the way, we will consider how entrepreneurs and politicians have exploited color for their own purposes, from the commodification of proprietary pigments to the weaponization of color as an instrument of racial prejudice. Lectures will alternate between thematic overviews of major topics in color history and in-depth case studies of specific colors. In-class projects will incorporate hands-on exploration of color through pigment grinding exercises and optical experiments. Writing projects will force us to consider how color resists linguistic description, opening a broader conversation about the relationship between visual and verbal communication.