mymodernmet.com: The color blue is associated with two of Earth’s greatest natural features: the sky and the ocean. But that wasn’t always the case. Some scientists believe that the earliest humans were actually colorblind and could only recognize black, white, red, and only later yellow and green. As a result, early humans with no concept of the color blue simply had no words to describe it. This is even reflected in ancient literature, such as Homer’s Odyssey, that describes the ocean as a “wine-red sea.”
8 comments:
Though I knew that blue had a rich history, I did not know its significance in different cultures. I also did not know that humans may have been color-blind and could not see blue as recently as Ancient Greece. I wonder if in other places of the world the sea or sky has described as wine colored. I also found it interesting that Egyptian Blue emits infrared radiation, allowing scientists to know where blue paint might have been, even if the color has rubbed off. This would make it easier for art historians to examine the significance and value of the pieces to the Egyptians. It is interesting that indigo dye was cheap as opposed to the expensive nature of most blue paint. Something that once would have been a fortune became something of the masses. The prevalence of indigo dye must have changed the way that we see and interpret artifacts. Overall, I found this article fascinating and enjoyed reading about the history of blue.
Oh my! Can I have this article in documentary format? Wow. so much information packed tightly into a short read. I was unaware of the deep history of blue, only really understanding that the blue used by the Israelites has been the only blue to never be able to be accurately copied or synthesized. I also did not know that the early peoples of this planet were, not color blind, but color inhibitive. I recall reading many times over or seeing in a documentary about the color of purple and how, due to it’s way of being made early on in history, it was really expensive. It would be interesting to see how blue, red, and purple each crossed paths in history and how they were combined to create those expensive dyes and inks. To read and now understand about infrared radiation in colors, in this case blue, was more eye opening than I had expected. What a unique way for conservators and historians to use as a method of determining authenticity of a painting.
I found this article to be a really fascinating read for me personally because, not only is blue my favorite color, but also I have an interest in the origins, significance, and developments of colors. I find it so incredible how we continue to find and be able to fabricate new colors. I find it so interesting how blue was a color of high regard for Egyptians; I think that is another great reminder that human beings have a fasciation for what is new and undiscovered, and how much value we place in items that fit into that category. I adore the vibrancy that ultramarine gives to the artwork shown. The way that it is used in “Virgin and Child with Female Saints” is highly effective, and I think that it is fascinating how much worth it gave to the painting when it was first done. The amount of history attached to the few shades that this article goes in depth on is absolutely astounding, especially when one considers how much else there is on the color blue that the author couldn’t include in this piece.
I found this article extremely interesting. I think it’s crazy how I can use so much color in one day doing many different things and I never even consider the origin of the color or how it even came to be. I remember when I was younger drawing and not understanding why the standard colors we learn about in kindergarten has weirdly spelled words in front of them. I would just think well this is just blue or just red. Reading this article made me realize just how many different types of blue there are and how completely different they are. I also really liked the fun facts. I am an art history nerd so knowing which blue was used in Hokusai’s Great Wave or Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring is very important knowledge for me. I was able to learn more about a color I use in my everyday life and I can’t wait to learn more about other colors.
Wait. How did we develop more cones in our eyes to actually be able to see yellow and green. I didn’t know it was possible to evolve into having more cones in our eyes. It’s such a random things that would evolve that doesn’t seem relevant to survival like most evolutionary changes. I wonder when that shift started to happen and did the ancient Egyptians even know that the pigment they made was blue. It’s also really interesting that Egyptian blue emits infrared radiation, conveniently making it possible to identify the color as being used even when it has worn away, also that the color was the primary color for blue for thousands of years before we found other blues. I knew that purple was extremely hard to make and therefore really expensive, but I didn’t know that many blues also fell into that same category. Also it’s interesting that Prussian blue was discovered by putting animal blood which made it blue.
Every time I think about colors and how they came about I'm always surprised how ancient people even found colors and dye that actually worked and colored item permanently. For the ancient Egyptians didn't even find blue from a plant or fruit, no, the article reads: "There’s a long list of things we can thank the ancient Egyptians for inventing, and one of them is the color blue. Considered to be the first ever synthetically produced color pigment, Egyptian blue (also known as cuprorivaite) was created around 2,200 B.C. It was made from ground limestone mixed with sand and a copper-containing mineral, such as azurite or malachite, which was then heated between 1470 and 1650°F. The result was an opaque blue glass which then had to be crushed and combined with thickening agents such as egg whites to create a long-lasting paint or glaze." Truly incredible was our ancestors were able to create.
This is so cool! I've always found it interesting that there was a point when cool did not exist. How is that even possible for something that we see everyday not to have existed at one point? I think the idea of a new color is so weird and it always makes me appreciate certain pieces of art more. For instance, the canvases of Klein blue would be so stupid to me because, to the naked eye, its a square of blue. But to know that the artist created a whole new color makes the canvas so much more powerful. In one moment, this color did not exist and, in the next, it does. I find it interesting that early humans could see green but not blue since blue is one of the primary colors when creating green. I think blue is a color that is both soothing and violent that its vibrancy is powerful but its coolness is calming. Its weird that we can feel such different emotions when looking at the same color but whole classes can be taught just on the history and value of blue. In fact, Yale University offers a class on just that.
I am just fascinated by the idea that we human obtain the colors from nature. No matter if it is from plant or mineral, color is a gift of nature both for our eyes and our art. Ultramarine is always my favorite color on any art pieces. Lapis lazuli gave this color infinite profoundness and a trace of age. You can read the history of the earth in just one color. Looking at the history of blue in the far east makes me relate more. I was first stunned by the use of blue in Chinese porcelain. In the British Museum, Chinese porcelain is sorted by color so I could compare all the blue in porcelain at once. There are just countless shades of blue created by tiny variation of heat and minerals. How could Chinese people in the past with limited knowledge of chemistry do such a marvelous thing? And Tibetan thangka is another miracle. Almost every color was created from gemstones. A thangka is like a miniature museum of geology. And the extract of nature pops out so vividly and radiantly on the canvas, which adds life to the religious figures.
Post a Comment