Books

Dialogues on Color

This book published in 2017 by Are Not Books uses the lesson of contextual criticism and the antics of Socratic dialogue to explore how the history of color theory and color modeling can be put to use among working artists. Forging personal confessions from would-be color theorists like Aristotle, Johann Goethe, Rudolf Steiner, Vladimir Tatlin, Anni Albers, Holly Solomon and others, Fine dramatizes color’s changing fortunes in philosophy and culture.

Color Theory: A Critical Introduction

This forthcoming book is a concise overview of the history of color theory providing practical guidance towards the use of color in art and design. Going beyond a simple recitation of what has been said about color in different periods and places, this book is an intellectual history exploring what those theories say about the cultures that espouse them, including our own. Not only is this critical approach consistent with the practical guidance the book offers, it actually speeds up the reader’s ability to apply theory to practice. By placing the color wheel and color primaries within the Western industrial context that generated them, the author helps users connect color choices to color meanings. Because the real issue is not “How do I mix this color?” but rather “What color should I mix?”