Detailed examination of the history of color

February 23, 2003|By Sarah Kickler Kelber, Tribune Newspapers: The Baltimore Sun.

What color combinations did the Egyptians favor? How about the Victorians? What kind of color choices were inspired by Pucci dresses, Impressionist paintings or even Tupperware?

"Living Colors: The Definitive Guide to Color Palettes Through the Ages" (Chronicle Books, 160 pages, $29.95) attempts to answer these and other questions.

It authors, Margaret Walch, director of the Color Association of the United States, and Augustine Hope, a color and design consultant, examine how colors were used and what they might have meant to the people who used them.

Every two pages, there is a discussion of what inspired a particular palette, such as that in Indian paisley, Rococo interiors, Scottish tartan, the neutrals and brights of the '20s or comic-book colors.

In the book's facing spiral-bound section, there is a card showing the colors of each of these palettes. Then, if you find inspiration from one of these palettes, you can see how to use them yourself.