The Secret Lives of Color
Colours hold a special place in my heart.
When I was a child, my parents bought me two big boxes of Crayola crayons, and even though I didn’t have that many things to colour and couldn’t bear to use a particular colour up, I was obsessed with them. Suddenly, they unlocked a hundred new words for a child, words like maroon, canary, periwinkle, and gave me a new sensitivity to all the nuanced hues in life. Imagine a memoir written by colours, all with their quirky characters. This is it.
The Secret Lives of Color is one of those rare books that manages to be both a feast for the eyes and a deep dive into history, culture, and human emotion—all through the prism of color. Flicking through its pages feels like wandering through a vibrant museum where every shade tells a story, some delightful, others haunting.
There’s a certain magic in how St. Clair weaves together each hue's scientific, historical, and emotional tapestry. From the blood-red of cochineal to the elusive blue of lapis lazuli, the book is less a dry reference and more a narrative journey. The book occasionally flirts with being a bit encyclopedic, but her voice keeps it from feeling heavy even then. The balance between facts and storytelling is just right, offering something for casual readers and those hungry for deeper knowledge. The prose dances lightly, with a wit and warmth that make the book as accessible as it is enlightening. I found myself genuinely surprised—did you know that the colour purple was once so precious it could make or break a dynasty? Or that some pigments were so toxic they became a slow poison to artists? How she captures the emotional resonance of colours—how they shape our moods and memories—feels deeply personal; it’s not just about paint and dye, but human stories, creativity, power, and even protest.
The book's structure distinguishes it from typical art or design tomes. Each chapter is dedicated to a single colour, making the experience like a series of mini-adventures. This approach, which some have called “delightfully addictive,” means you can dip into it whenever you need a splash of inspiration or a moment of calm curiosity. I found myself drawn to the sections on green and yellow, colours that embody hope yet carry their complex histories. This is one of the rare occasions where you need the book in hard copy to appreciate the ingenuity behind it fully.
In a world that often feels grey and hurried, The Secret Lives of Color is a joyful reminder of the beauty and significance packed into every shade around us. It’s perfect for anyone who loves art or history or wants to see the world through a more colourful lens. And honestly, I’m still thinking about the colours I thought I knew—now alive with their own secret lives.
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