R&B: Red

Its finally my turn to get the flu.  I was hoping to avoid the whole experience this year...   I have a feeling there will be a lot of blogging this weekend...

There is so much to say with this one!  The cultural understanding of red is just so varied. In China it stands for happiness and good luck, Eastern Europe saw it as a color of the Revolution,  and later Communism.  In the US it is often associated with a warning, Santa Claus,  or Valentine's day.  

In art red often signifies  passion, power, and wealth. 

Napoleon, painted by Ingres.   This work was initially rejected by the art world and caused the artist much strife. However, this work remains a prime example of how powerful red can be in imagery. 

Napoleon on his imperial throne. 1806 M. Ingres. 

The Catholic church is known for their use of red.  This particular portrait of a cardinal is painted by arguably the father of portraiture as we know it, Anthony Van Dyck.   I love the lace this man is wearing! 

Cardinal Guido Bentivoglio, 1625. Anthony Van Dyck. 

Of course no color post of mine is complete with out The McCurry. 

Steve McCurry  India. 

One would expect roses in a still life like this, and I really like the tulips instead.

Sorry, source is unknown on this one. 

In case you are craving some red awesomeness...   Just click on the name of the item below, and the magic of the internet will make it possible.

1. Headband 
2. Bag
3. Red Riding Hood print
4. Mouse couple (aren't they just so cute?!)

R&B: White

The first of all single colors is white ... We shall set down white for the representative of light, without which no color can be seen; yellow for the earth; green for water; blue for air; red for fire; and black for total darkness." -- Leonardo Da Vinci
 

Nautilus print by vintagebytheshore

Simplicity is beautiful.

Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Elizabeth, The Ditchley Portrait, 1592

Elizabeth aka "The Virgin Queen" was one of the first to figure out the power of PR. She made sure that she was portrayed wearing white to keep up her image.

R&B: Yellow

Sunshine has been a rare commodity this summer.  Maybe that is why getting a couple of bright days has made me think of yellow.... 

This is generally considered a cheerful color.  Probably because it is associated with things which most humans enjoy;   such as the sun, gold, and bananas.   Like all other colors it has negative connotations as well, such as yellow journalism, or yellowing because of age. 

Discovered Steve McCurry; a phenomenal and iconic photographer.   His portraits are widely recognized around the world.  Much of his work has been shot in Afghanistan, such as the woman below. I have a feeling his name will be coming up many more times in future posts.

This portrait is just so full of joy! Just looking at it makes me smile. 

Anna, by John Ebersberger. 1990

I prefer yellow roses to all others, but found out that in  Victorian England they stood for jealousy and deceit.  Lucky for me, the meaning has changed to joy and friendship. 

Yellow by Coldplay.  Last month this song was stuck in my head for at least three days. 

R&B: Blue

Supposedly blue is the favorite color of about 70% of Americans.  Its not a surprise considering our eyes are actually more relaxed when they rest on something blue.  Every day I am fascinated by the number of meanings and emotions colors bring out in us.  For example; blue can be soothing and calm, or depressing and dark.   Its believed that the first synthetic color pigment was invented by the Egyptians.  Egyptian blue was used across the Mediterranean for centuries.   In fact the word "blue" in ancient Egypt is the same as the word for "the eye of Ra", who was their greatest god.  As part of this project, I found THIS little video by the British Museum, their findings prove what some art historians have suspected for hundreds of  years...


Nebamun hunting in the marshes, fragment of a scene from the tomb-chapel of Nebamun.  Copyrights belong to the British Museum.

Speaking of eyes.... when I was about six, I decided that in heaven I will have blue eyes and blond (curly) hair.  No amount of  explaining and rationalizing by my Mom could convince me otherwise.  P.S. Secretly, I still believe that it is possible.


Some of Picasso's most sought after paintings were painted during his Blue Period.  The "Old Guitarist" is perhaps the most well known of them all.

Old Guitarist. Picasso, 1903. Art Institute of Chicago.

I want to go to there!

Mexico, by Daniel Usenko

Photo by Steve McCurry. Copyright belongs to National Geographic 

A a very talented  friend Anastasia, of Anastasia Marie Handcrafted Cards and Stationery  creates these beautiful palettes on her blog for inspiration.

The original palette along with the photo sources can be found HERE

R&B: Purple

In the medieval Europe this color was only worn by royalty, and later as a sign of mourning during the Victorian era.  It has a deep history with aristocracy, Alexander the Great lined his tunic with Tyrian purple which he discovered during one of his conquests in modern day Lebanon (source). 

So as the first of my color series, I present to you: PURPLE!

Claude Monet has mastered the shades of purple like few other artists have.  These two are part of a series which included a dozen or so works of the same landscape under different light.

Houses of Parliament, Effect of Sunlight.  Claude Monet 

House of Parliament: Effects of Sunlight. Claude Monet

By MAXM Studio 

A ring made by DotStich. You can buy it  HERE

Rainbows and butterflies

I was humming a song called "Yellow" by Coldplay when I had an idea! Why not do a series blog posts about colors?! We generally  don't think about colors or light very much and take it as a given.  Just try for a moment try to imagine a world without color...  It would be like food without flavor.   God must have created it to make life a better experience.

Have you thought about the different meanings that certain colors have? For example; black is usually associated with mourning and blue is peaceful.  I wonder, how is it that we associate not only certain moods with colors, but also flavors and create entire personalities for the hues. 

The science of color is so complicated that I can't even begin to grasp the wikipedia definition, let alone understand it all in depth. However, I know that I can enjoy the beauty that the endless combinations of shade and hue create in the world around us.  So, take a moment with me to enjoy this gift. 

A color wheel by Jason Hotchkiss

Speaking of humming.  Watch this video at your own risk, its a sure one to get stuck in your head.