Behind every painted masterpiece is a palette of some kind. From traditional wooden boards with thumb holes to ceramic plates and from plastic paint pots to the surfaces of a studio, each palette and the colors that remain on its surface provide a vital – but often historically neglected – insight into an artist and their individual process. Alexandra Loske skilfully analyzes each artist’s color palette and brushstrokes to reveal not only exactly how they used color in their work but also to tell the story of their journey with color and the influence of their approach on the wider culture to which they belonged. In Die Farben der Kunst, more than 50 unique palettes are presented alongside stunning paintings by the celebrated artists who used them, including Artemisia Gentileschi, Paul Cézanne, Berthe Morisot, Vincent Van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, Georgia O’Keeffe and Anselm Kiefer.

ALEXANDRA LOSKE is an art historian, writer and curator with a particular interest in the history of color in Western art, print culture and architecture. She has worked at the University of Sussex for over 20 years and received a DPhil in Art History in 2014. Loske’s thesis focused on the application of color theory in the Royal Pavillion, Brighton, where she now holds the position of curator.