Renzo Shamey - Pioneers of Color Science

The cover collage (by R. Shamey) depicts historical progress in the general domain of science including some of the important pioneers in the field of color science. The majority of images are available in the public domain. A brief description of the images from top left to bottom right is given below.

Top Row

1. The famous School of Athens by Raphael, painted between 15101511 CE, depicting all of the major philosophers of antiquity with Plato and Aristotle at the center (Vatican Museums, Rome).

2. Abd al-Rahman III and his court receiving the ambassador in Medina Alzahara, by Dionisio Baixeras Verdaguer (18621943)University of Barcelona Virtual Museum.

3. Dar Al-Hikmah, The Museum of Science and Technology in Islam, Istanbul. Picture from Nikos Niotis.

4. The color order system according to Nasir al-din Tusi (12011274), Persian scientist.

5. Portrait of Ibn Sina (Avicenna) circa 9801037, Persian polymath.

Middle Row

1. Galileo Galilei showing the Doge of Venice how to use the telescope, by Giuseppe Bertini (18251898).

2. Landscape with clerks studying astronomy and geometry, showing an armillary sphere, square, compasses, etc., La Vraye Histoire du Bon Roy Alixandre (The Alexander Romance in Old French prose) by Pseudo-Callisthenes, early fifteenth century.

3. Portrait of Sir Isaac Newton (16431727), English polymath, by Jean-Leon Huens (19211984).

4. Reading of Voltaires LOrphelin de la Chine (a tragedy about Ghengis Khan and his sons, published in 1755), in the salon of Madame Geoffrin (Malmaison, 1812), by Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier (17431824).

Bottom Row

1. Portrait of Thomas Young (17731829), English physicist, From Life of Thomas Young (1855), George Peacockfrontispiece.

2. Michel-Eugne Chevreul (17861889), French chemist, taken in 1889.

3. James Clerk Maxwell (18311879), Scottish physicist. Circa 1875, Photograph by Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis Historical (1900).

4. Hermann Ludwig von Helmholtz (18211894), German physiologist.

5. Karl Ewald Konstantin Hering (18341918), German physiologist.

6. Albert Henry Munsell (18581918), American artist.

7. Photograph of a CIE Meeting (from left to right: Ernst Ganz, David MacAdam, Alan Robertson, Gunter Wyszecki), by Fred Billmeyer.

8. CIE chromaticity diagram.

Color plays an important role in our daily lives. Among our sensory qualities, color has historically attracted the greatest level of interest. The idea behind this book was conceived several years ago based on experiences gained from teaching color science and technology to undergraduate and graduate students. In the course of teaching, it was increasingly felt important to provide students with an opportunity to relate to the individuals behind discoveries. Thus, whenever a discovery or invention was mentioned, a brief description of the achievements together with a depiction (whenever possible) of the individual(s) was shown to introduce the scientist and signify their contribution in the field. The idea to generate a list of pioneers in the field was thus formed. Through conversations and consultations with colleagues, an initial list was created. A survey was then placed on social media sites to collect opinions from those interested in the domain, and a final list was generated.

In the meantime, the authors were placed in charge of the People section of the Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology (Luo, 2016). There seemed to be a strong synergy between the two activities, and it became evident that many of the pioneers selected for the book could also be included in the reference encyclopedia. A number of expert individuals were invited to contribute manuscripts to the encyclopedia. When appropriate, the authors were asked for permission to incorporate their modified manuscripts in this book. These contributions enriched the book and enhanced the quality of this project. This work provided the authors with an opportunity to (re)discover some facts and interesting information about many of the pioneers listed which are now shared with the reader. The lives and works of pioneers generally reflect the ambition of man to discover unknowns and address the challenges associated with visual perception in general and color specifically. As might be expected, the journey included controversies and heated debates.

The book contains a brief description of lives and scientific discoveries of 93 pioneers in the field of color science. It is arranged in five parts according to the following plan.

Part I covers ancient Greece which in the Western World was the source of thinking about color. Essays include discussions and views from Plato, Aristotle, and Ptolemy.

Part II involves scientific contributions in the field during the Islamic Golden Age which extended from Spain to the Far East through Persia. Major discoveries included advances in optics, vision, and categorization of color by scientists such as Alhazen, al-Tusi, Avicenna, al-Farisi, among others.

Part III is a short essay on discussions pertaining to color in the Middle Ages leading to the Renaissance. Only two notable individuals, Bacon and Dietrich von Freiberg, are recorded to have made significant contributions to this domain over the period.