The Art of Colors: For Children and Adults [Hardcover]

Cindy Estes (Author), Margaret Steele (Author, Editor)

Book Description

A beautiful and unique boardbook which teaches children their colors via pieces of contemporary art by acclaimed artists, with short accompanying text that describes each artwork for the adult reader. For example, a beautiful silkscreen by Andy Warhol of field flowers highlights the color purple. The word purple is printed, in bold purple type, on the opposite page. The word purple is also translated into Spanish, French, German, and Japanese, which children find fascinating. A few sentences are given for the adult reader that describe Warhols motivation for this and other artworks.

Twelve colors and artworks are featured, as listed below. They represent pieces by the masters of contemporary art to emerging leaders; women and men; people of many ethnic backgrounds. Red - a dynamic, spiritual painting by Mark Rotho
Blue - a mystical assemblage piece by Betye Saar
Yellow - painting with human figures and words by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Orange - a rich, flowing painting by Sam Francis
Green - a room installation by Barbara Bloom
Purple - a silkscreen of flowers by Andy Warhol
White - a billboard of empty bed sheets by Felix Gonzalez-Torres
Black - a wooden sculpture by Louise Nevelson
Grey - a painting of the United States map by Jasper Johns
Brown - a wall of vintage suitcases by Hirokazu Kosaka
Pink - a geometric landscape painting by Richard Diebenkorn
Light Blue - a light and space, neon artwork by Doug Wheeler

Editorial Reviews

Review

A far cry from the dull art-history texts you dozed over in school, these whimsical board books use modern masterpieces---by Matisse, Lichtenstein, Warhol, and others---to introduce kids to colors, shapes, and parts of the body. Even the buttocks get their 15 minutes of fame in a David Hockney piece your preschooler is sure to find funny. The colorful trio provides a great simultaneous introduction to reading and the world of fine art. Who knows---they might even give the two of you something to talk about during your next museum trip. -- Parent's Magazine, February 1999

From the Publisher

The Art of Colors has such a fabulous cover and features so many beautiful artworks that we have seen noticeably strong sales. Because it is the second in a series (The Art of Shapes for Children and Adults was the first) we thought that the two books might share the prior sales numbers, but just the contrary, having a pair available has actually increased sales of each. Together, the books make a wonderful gift for both child and parents. We also find that people are buying a set for gifts and a second set for themselves.

As with the Shapes book, every artist invited to participate in the Colors book agreed. This is so unusual and speaks to the quality and value of the books. The author, who spent many hours finding the perfect works for each color, did not have to use pieces from her B list.

A portion of the proceeds from The Art of Colors for Children and Adults supports The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles and its programs The book was produced by Cecil B. Widdifield.

The Art of Colors for Children and Adults is one of a trilogy. The Art of Shapes for Children and Adults is also available now; The Art of the Body will be available in September 1998.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Fotofolio Inc (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914357549
• ISBN-13: 978-0914357544
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,932,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What I did not figure on was how much I would LOVE it., April 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Colors: For Children and Adults (Hardcover)

I read about this book in a parenting magazine and thought that my baby daughter would enjoy it. My husband is an artist, so I thought that it would be a great book to teach her about art in a fun way. What I did not figure on was how much I would LOVE it. This book shows an artist's work in a specific color. It tells the artist's name and a brief description of their work. On the facing page, it tells the color, then translates the word into 3 other languages. It is short so it keeps my daughter's interest and she is facinated by the color. My husband and I have enjoyed talking about the art on the pages. Forget about the child wanting to look at the same book over and over again -- with this one, it is ME who wants to. I am buying the other two books in the series today.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A total delight, July 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Art of Colors: For Children and Adults (Hardcover)

The great thing about this books is that I TOTALLY disagree with the reviewer ...

The author has selected new and emerging artists instead of the tried and true. As a parent I enjoyed learning about new artists instead of sitting throught Intro to Art History again. My child has benefited from from learning her colors and being exposed to new artists.

3 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A total disappointment, June 11, 2002

By 

STEPHANIE BILLIKOPF (SANTIAGO Chile) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Colors: For Children and Adults (Hardcover)

I have ordered around 100 products ...and I have never been as disappointed as I was with this book and with The Art of Shapes. I bought them for a three year old child thinking that he would start getting acquainted with famous works of arts from all over the world. With a few exceptions the artists selected are completely unknown. There are millions of famous beautiful European and American masterpieces that would have been more suitable for a child. ...