Chromocopia
The Colours of Colours
David BatchelorA compelling guide to colour’s meanings, contradictions and cultural life
Chromocopia is a provocative meditation on colour and the meanings we attach to it. Conceived as a companion to Chromophobia, David Batchelor turns from colour as an abstract idea to the histories, associations and contradictions of individual colours. Across chapters devoted to reds, yellows, blues, greens, blacks, whites and greys, he draws on an extraordinary range of artists, writers, philosophers, architects and musicians to show how colour has been understood, celebrated, feared and contested. Written with clarity and insight by an artist whose own work is rooted in colour, this book argues that no colour possesses a fixed meaning and that every claim about colour can be challenged by another. In doing so, David Batchelor invites readers to reconsider their own perceptions and the limits of language itself.
-
'
David Batchelor’s 2000 book on colour, Chromophobia, is widely regarded as one of the most influential books to be written about colour, its impact on our world and how we relate to it. Chromocopia promises to be equally enlightening and intriguing.
'Alice Rawsthorn, author of Design as an Attitude
-
'
David Batchelor refers to Chromocopia’s structure as “call and response”. Batchelor is responding to diverse statements about a range of colors but more importantly responding to color itself – engagingly, wittily, lovingly. The elegant design of the book matches the quality of the text, reflecting the sensitivity of a writer who is a visual artist.
'Richard Shiff, Cain Regents Chair Emeritus, The University of Texas at Austin
1 Chromocopia
2 Reds
3 Blues
4 Yellows
5 Greens
6 Greys
7 Blacks and Whites
Afterword
References
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
David Batchelor is an artist and writer based in London. His books include the bestselling Chromophobia (2000) and The Luminous and the Grey (2014), both published by Reaktion Books.
