Boogert 1692

Poster with a detailed illustration of Boogert's 1692 book, a remarkable and comprehensive study of color and precursor to the modern color system.

In a time long before standardized color taxonomies, the Dutch artist A. Boogert created an almost 900-page masterpiece, namely the book Traité des couleurs servant à la peinture à l'eau . The work made Enlightenment research on optics more detailed than contemporary work, was a precursor to future color studies by scientists such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and was used by Charles Darwin during his Beagle voyage.

Boogert's book contained handwritten notes, descriptions and hundreds of hand-painted color samples. It was a work that went far beyond the ordinary, not for scientific or industrial purposes, but as a guide for artists in how to mix watercolors to create every color in the spectrum. The author even included a comprehensive unit on shades of white, gray and black.

The fascinating thing is that Boogert's book had little historical impact on the development of the standardized color system. Its single copy remained unseen by most, lost in the archives of the Bibliothèque Méjanes in Aix-en-Provence, France, until recently discovered by medieval historian Erik Kwakkel, who published scans and translated parts of the introduction from the original Dutch.

This poster is not only a tribute to Boogert's work, but also an acknowledgment of the incredible work behind this early work to systematize colors. The motif is perfect for anyone who appreciates art and the history of design.