Looking at Art Through the Stories of Colors | THOMPSON LECTURE
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Victoria Finlay, Guest Lecturer
Victoria Finlay was eight years old when she went to Chartres Cathedral in France, southwest of Paris. “Look at that blue in the stained glass,” her father said as they gasped at how the sunlight coming through the glass appeared to dance blues and reds on the limestone of the interior. “They made it eight hundred years ago and we can’t do that anymore,” he said. And from then on, she started to look at the colors used in all the works of art she came across, which led her to travel around the world to find their stories. Looking at colors is a kind of decoding, which can be like an intriguing puzzle. It can also open up surprising truths about how we perceive anything, as well as how trade and technology and wars and fashions have affected art over the centuries. In this talk, she will look at works ranging from Paleolithic horses to Renaissance church art to more contemporary pieces—including several in the FIA collection—to find unexpected and marvellous stories in how they are made.
Victoria Finlay is a British journalist and author. She spent 12 years covering news and the arts in Hong Kong before returning to the United Kingdom to write books. Her first book, Color: the Natural History of the Palette, is a bestseller in the UK and the US, and it was followed by Jewels: A Secret History, Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World, and a vividly illustrated book titled The Brilliant History of Color in Art.
Victoria Finlay was eight years old when she went to Chartres Cathedral in France, southwest of Paris. “Look at that blue in the stained glass,” her father said as they gasped at how the sunlight coming through the glass appeared to dance blues and reds on the limestone of the interior. “They made it eight hundred years ago and we can’t do that anymore,” he said. And from then on, she started to look at the colors used in all the works of art she came across, which led her to travel around the world to find their stories. Looking at colors is a kind of decoding, which can be like an intriguing puzzle. It can also open up surprising truths about how we perceive anything, as well as how trade and technology and wars and fashions have affected art over the centuries. In this talk, she will look at works ranging from Paleolithic horses to Renaissance church art to more contemporary pieces—including several in the FIA collection—to find unexpected and marvellous stories in how they are made.
Victoria Finlay is a British journalist and author. She spent 12 years covering news and the arts in Hong Kong before returning to the United Kingdom to write books. Her first book, Color: the Natural History of the Palette, is a bestseller in the UK and the US, and it was followed by Jewels: A Secret History, Fabric: The Hidden History of the Material World, and a vividly illustrated book titled The Brilliant History of Color in Art.
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Where is it happening?
1120 E Kearsley St, Flint, MI, United States, Michigan 48503
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherFlint Institute of Arts
