General Interest

Colour sites for everyone.

Interdisciplinary

The National Gallery in London produced a fabulous podcast series Stories in Colour, where colour experts were interviewed about various aspects of colour and pigments, while highlighting paintings from their collection. Particularly notable interviews include Anya Hurlbert on How we see colour, Zeynep Sagir on Why we feel what we feel about colour, and David Batchelor on Chromaphobia. Podcast series encompasses the cultural, historical, scientific and artmaking practices behind colour’s use and application. Available wherever you get your podcats, and also on their youtube channel.

Stepping through the spectrum, Cohen & Novey present a ‘Weird little lesson, in rainbow order’ - a series of fun facts about colors like: Where does the term ‘red tape’ come from? Why are the Simpsons yellow? Does anything rhyme with orange?
Part of NPR’s 2014 series on color.

Mathematician Marcus du Satoy describes one of the most important experiments in the history of physics - Sir Isaac Newton’s “Crucial Experiment”, where he discovered the relation between colour and light. Marcus also discusses the far-reaching implications of Newton’s discovery, and how it has affected artists and scientists alike. Excellent series on how key diagrams have impacted the history of thought.

All-encompassing podcast that gives an excellent overview of colour perception. Continues in “What is Color? Part 2: Why royals wear purple”.

How does one experience synesthesia - the neurological trait that combines two or more senses? Synesthetes may taste the number 9 or attach a colour to each day of the week. Richard E. Cytowic explains the fascinating world of entangled senses and why we may all have just a touch of synesthesia.

University of Leeds Professor Stephen Westland debunks common colour misconceptions in this interview on Does brown exist? by Times Radio host Alexis Conran.

These stunning illusions, created by R. Beau Lotto, are hosted by echalk (online resource site for teachers).

Excellent site that discusses pigments and their use in specific paintings. From website: “The idea of ColourLex is centered around the common ground between science and art. To appreciate a work of art in all its implications, one has to understand the technique of the painter and to know the materials used in its creation.”

A short article on the work of William Henry Perkin, the UK chemist whose discovery of mauvine started the synthetic dye industry.

A colourful walk-through of an exhibition at the Indianapolis Museum of art on the chemical history of pigments and dyes, and their use in art.

“Learn about the development of colour photography—from the very first experiments with hand-colouring to the mass production of commercially viable colour film.
This story explores the different approaches early inventors and entrepreneurs took in the race to develop a successful colour photographic process, from hand-colouring and the Lumière brothers’ autochrome to the first commercially successful ‘integral tripack’ system, Kodachrome.”

Color is a subtle tool that can transport us from our ordinary lives to extraordinary worlds of cinema. Peel back the layers of history and look at how color was first understood and implemented in the world of film.

“There is so much more to the colors of the natural world than meets the eye! Sometimes, the color of something in nature has nothing to do with beauty and everything to do with science! Join Hank for a showcase of a few of our episodes all about coloration!”

Physicist Helen Czerski presents this highly engaging series of 3 videos on what colour is, how it works, and how it has written the story of planet Earth. Episode 1 : Earth's Colours; Episode 2: Life’s Colours; Episode 3: Beyond the Rainbow.

“In the dark depths of the oceans, nearly 90 percent of all species shine from within. Whether it’s to scare off predators, fish for prey or lure a mate, the language of light is everywhere in the ocean depths, and scientists are finally starting to decode it.
On "Creatures Of Light," NOVA and National Geographic take a dazzling dive to this hidden undersea world where most creatures flash, sparkle, shimmer, or simply glow. “