Months ago I mentioned Hélio Oiticica retrospective, The Body of Colour, at Houston Museum of Fine Arts, and only yesterday I realised that the exhibition is travelling to Tate Modern! Oiticica’s works will be on display from June 6 until September 23.

From Tate’s website:

Hélio Oiticica (1937–80) was one of the most innovative Brazilian artists of his generation and has come to be acknowledged as a significant figure in the development of contemporary art. Among his achievements was the original and uncompromising use of colour that was central to his practice, and thisis the first large-scale exhibition focusing on this key element in his work. Featuring more than 150 works, the exhibition includes several key series from 1955 onwards, some of which have not been seen publicly for more than thirty years.

Italian fashion company Pinko has launched a new line of t-shirts and vests called Color Theory.

The company’s website states: ‘We have created this range of monochromatic Pinko T-shirts in a range of exclusive shades starting out from the observation that, in every day life, stars love to wear simple and comfortable T-shirts and vests. The result is Pinko Color Theory - one color, one emotion, one T-shirt. One color, because everyday life is made up of clear-cut decisions. One emotion, because each color can be associated with a state of mind or character trait. One T-shirt in original packaging: a tin that recalls a paint can.’

According to Pinko the following colours mean… Continue reading ‘Pinko color theory’

January has been the month of books, so let’s close it with a volume on ‘travels through the Paintbox’. Colour (2002), by Victoria Finlay, is an extensive investigation of the origins and histories of colours and hues through Europe, Asia, Australia, America. Finley, expert journalist and traveller, has an intriguing way of linking different experiences jumping from a continent to the other without loosing the reader’s interest. Raw and beautiful ochre from remote Australia, the mysteries of black and toxic white, red, orange, yellow, green and more.

The following is a passage from the third chapter, White:

It took 100 tonnes of lime to allow the world’s most famous white-coloured house to breathe, and it covered it in style. By 1800, when the new President’s House was opened, it was the talk of the newly named city of Washington. It was the greatest home in America, and workmen were constantly being diverted by members of the public wandering in to watch the place being finished. It was to be a classical building, the freemason founders of America has decided - and should therefore be white like the ancient Greek buildings they so admired. Continue reading ‘Travels through colour’

Written by Michel Pastoureau and published in 2001 by Princeton University Press, the book Blue, the history of a color is a fascinating study on meaning, symbolism and traditions associated with blue. This colour can represent purity, sophistication, power, authority. Coming from a Catholic country, I tend to identify a specific hue of blue with the Virgin Mary, at least when thinking about religious iconography. In the tradition Mary was always portrayed wearing blue robes, symbol of virtue and majesty. One of the most interesting aspects of colour theories is the study of how colours are perceived by different cultures and religions.
Also, I found out that Pastoureau wrote a book titled The Devil’s Cloth: A History of Stripes and Striped Fabric which was recently suggested to me. Sounds like an interesting read!

Everyone’s talking about it and I’m quite frustrated because I don’t own a TV set and it’s been a while since I went to the cinema. What am I talking about? The new Sony Bravia ad, of course. They even set up a whole website celebrating this monumental explosion of colours. And there’s a game that mimics the set of the ad. It’s fun, but I still find it difficult to colour 20% of the tower!