Views on Chromophobia by David Batchelor

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Table of Contents

Use of Color to Communicate to Target Audience in Artistic Work
Batchelor’s View of Chromophobia
Comparing Contemporary and Old Views
Bibliography

Use of Color to Communicate to Target Audience in Artistic Work

The appeal of color has always been the primary concern of all artists and their clients alike. The depth of the loyalty to color glee, is however a mystery that needs some explication. In the color theory, artists from varied back grounds have always used this magic of the eye to communicate to their audience in a more appealing yet varied way.

Many writers have tended to look up to the 19^th century when exploring chromophobia idea. Although the subject of chromophobia has been since the ancient Greek, most authors exploration was limited to the ancient believes and boundaries which has not been cleared carried to today’s themes. Batchelor explores the resistance to chromophobia and blend it with contemporary art.

Batchelor’s View of Chromophobia

Historical background

According to David Batchelor, many artists today use colors arbitrarily without creating sensible themes and the few who do, use it in an informal way which is quite idiosyncratic. In simple, the meaning of color theme is still a spectrum that needs to be addressed in the artists’ sphere of communicating their interests, values, culture and even to create more sensible and appealing works.

How do contemporary artists use the idea?

The point Batchelor was putting across is that in order to communicate using colors, it is imperative that the artists in question go the extra mile to excavate the meaning and all aspects of color, which is quite complex.

Batchelor’s yarn

Batchelor came up with an irresistible collection of anecdotes relating to the experience and believes on color, he relates the tales to quotes and thus surfaces out the full meaning of the issues surrounding color. Although held as a past concept, he presents a passionate and cumulative prose that helps reveal why the western culture disgusts and qualms the color.

In his attempts to reveal the diverse effects of color, Batchelor switches between novels, art and movies to trace clearly the background of color history in a practical way. Through his historical trace, he posits the diverse views of both chromophiliacs and chromophobes. Citing examples of known great artists, he produces a succinct book that addresses the flaws held on color.

What does he use to explicate his ideas?

An in-depth description of chromophobia is provided in this work, the author explores the perception held on color. The definition of chromophobia is surfaced in a ring of examples for example the book quote Even Kant in his 1790’s writing who maintained that color would give ‘brilliancy’ and ‘charm’ to sculptures and paintings. In complementary, it is captured that the color is what make the sculpture or the drawing beautiful. He, however, cautions that it is not all color that makes an art working and appealing but more is the drawing.

In further exploration of chromophobia, he features the association of color with exoticism, superficiality, decadence, lack of clarity and confusion. He still brings out other well documented ‘facts’ about color, for example how color has been associated with racial and sexual phobias.

Comparing Contemporary and Old Views

Aristotle’s perception of color is unshelled to be drug (‘pharmakon’); an immediate comparison is made with rhetoric ‘calores’ meaning embellishment of an argument structure. The rhetoric view continued that if color was not considered a contaminant it should be treated as addition. In this concept, the additions or embellishments were considered superficial and thus did not form essential structure for things.

It is also outlined that color suspicion persists in some kinds of art work. This is particularly in regard to intellectual, moral and cerebral aspects of experience, for example conceptual arts were always made of white and a fetish black. Seriousness is portrayed in shades of grey in most art works. The idea of primitives and children liking strong colors, although is not widespread today; it still has a strong presence.

Based on Batchelor’s premise, chromophorbia forms a center stage of any artistic work. In different contexts and cultures, clear passing of information is easy through good choice and appreciation of color as with the intended audience views.

Bibliography

Batchelor, David. Chromophobia (London: Reaktion books, 2000), 23-157.

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