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| Art, Primary Colors 2, by Donna Corless. |
If you think color is not an enchantress, will not lure you away from wherever you are needed and seduce you into a reverie, a fugue state, then your infatuation is much more under control than mine. For those of us whose color-centered musings are lengthy and frequent, we have what might be called a spokesman. In his book, The Primary Colors: Three Essays, Alexander Theroux spins along every path that red, yellow or blue ever trod or dreamed of treading until we are nearly dizzy. In the very best sense.
Of the book, Publishers Weekly said, "Theroux's dazzling, free-form meditation explores the three primary colors through their myriad associations in art, history, music, poetry, fiction, movies, anthropology, linguistics, myth, religion, science, food, sports, and everyday life."
From the dust jacket we read, "There is poetry here; there is also song, fable, opinion, literary criticism, gossip, history, and fascinating fact - a fund of curiosa, gleanings of a witty and penetrating mind."
To give you an example from Yellow with regard to complexions, Theroux writes, "It all put me in mind of creepy Mrs. Danvers in du Maurier's Rebecca and that one hideously arresting detail I've never forgotten: 'I could see how tightly the skin was stretched across her face, showing the cheek-bones. There were little patches of yellow' - shudder - 'beneath her ears.'" He tells us that detective Sam Spade and Rosemary's baby had yellow eyes.
As the possessor of facts on all matters, Theroux may be without equal. How much of the information he shares as musings on these three colors came from his own memory, how much from research for the project we have no way of knowing. And it doesn't matter in the least. The way he hopscotches from one exploration to another keeps me sprinting after him, marveling at how limited my thoughts on such a favored subject have been. In case I ever exhaust, which seems unlikely, all he can tell me about the primary colors, another volume, The Secondary Colors: Three Essays, awaits.
Meanwhile, consider this: "No animal has blue fur."
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| Secondary colors, with thanks. |
4 comments:
Brilliant expression of one of the senses most brilliant treasures!
When Margot and I bought our house 10 years ago, it was the first time for both of us for being home-owners. After spending so many years as renters, with white or beige walls - we were very excited about getting to have colour. We ended up with a total of 17 different colours throughout our two story house, including the garage and we love it. When people come over they love it, but say "oh, I could never do that!" And I always say - "Yes, you can! Paint one wall a colour you love - if you find you can't live with it - paint it back. It takes lots less time than waiting for a bad haircut to grow out - and we've all had one of those!"
Kass - I can't do justice to Theroux's musings, quotes was as close as I could come. His essays are beyond remarkable. It is hard not to twitch with excitement at the improbable, obscure yet completely accurate, places he takes us. xo
Erin - As a renter, after a shortish window now decades ago of being a home owner, I do at times lament the white walls. There is/was a little coffee place down a walkway off the main street in Cambria which had one wall the exact, perfect shade of rich egg yolk yellow that is the pencil color I use most. How comfortable I felt in that room. To be in rooms with colors that remind us we are ALIVE, ah. And so much easier to remedy a wrong choice than that - shudder - bad haircut. Long live exuberance. xo
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