color a natural history of the palette by victoria finlay

White paint was popular, deadly and somewhat revolting. Circles may represent water holes in the desert, ovals may represent shields and wavy lines may depict people sitting around a fire.Īs you can see, Ochre is an ancient color and has been daubed on skin, stone and canvas – but it's just the start of our journey into colors. Ochre paintings often include patterns of dots, waves and circles, with each of these shapes carrying a significant meaning.

These works are often given mystical titles, such as Two Snakes Dreaming, and their composition is similarly mystical. Many Aboriginal artists still work with ochre, especially those from the Australia’s Central Desert Region. The author headed to Alice Springs in Northern Australia to see these works of art in their natural setting. Discover the tantalizing true stories behind your favorite colors. Ochre continues to play an important role in modern aboriginal art, and some of the best examples can be found in Australia. Buy a used copy of Color : A Natural History of the Palette book by Victoria Finlay. In fact, painting their skin is probably why white colonists gave them the derogatory name “red Indians” or “redskins.” It also repelled flying insects in the summer months and protected their skin against biting winter winds. According to the Roman encyclopedist Pliny the Elder, the rocks around Sinope on the Black Sea were the best source for ochre, but the pigment is found in many other regions as well.įor example, the native peoples of North America used the pigment on their skin, believing it protected them against evil spirits. Ochre was unearthed and used long before all other kinds of paint were discovered or circulated widely, and it has long been cherished as a result. The artists who created these cave paintings mostly used ochre, a naturally occurring pigment that ranges in color from earthy brown to yellow to red depending on the sort of iron oxide present. Have you ever seen pictures of prehistoric cave paintings, such as those at Lascaux or Altamira? They’re truly wondrous designs, but you may have noticed that their color palette is quite restricted.

Color a natural history of the palette by victoria finlay