My favorite color is green, shade depending on the day. Right now as I read this I am sitting in my very bright, sherbet-y green kitchen, which makes me quite happy. Particularly in the middle of the winter, when Upstate NY is generally grey and snowy and terribly depressing. It was also my favorite color when I was a kid, but then I switched to red for several decades. Can't say exactly why. I think it seemed more assertive and fiery, which were states I aspired to for any number of years.
An interesting story about indigo, which is that in the U.S. most of the indigo cultivation and dyeing was done by slaves. A famous Quaker abolitionist named John Woolman, in protest, refused to wear any indigo-dyed clothes and only dressed in undyed homespun for the rest of his adult life. Not unlike Ghandi many years later, though with a lot more layers since he lived in New Jersey.
My favourite thing to do is get very grumpy when medieval churches on TV are plain, whitewashed buildings. They would have been lavishly decorated within an inch of their life in a way modern people would find terribly gaudy. All the whitewashing and ransacking of ornament was done in the 16th century reformation when decoration was felt too ostentatious to be Christian. Protestantism probably had a huge influence on our aesthetics in a way we don’t consider!
Love this, Mike! I’m reading a book right now called ‘The Secret Lives of Color’ by Kassia St. Clair. I look forward to Pantone’s announcement of color of the year every December and their thinking behind it as it relates to what’s going on in the world. My favorite color is also blue, reminder of sea and sky. Great article, when I saw the original colors and patterned tights on the statue I thought ‘Why is he wearing Missoni leggings?’ Congrats on 12,000! :)
So funny that you published this today, Mike--I happened to be in Luxor this weekend and was stunned by the vibrant color in the ancient Egyptians’ temples. And yes, the colors would definitely have been a bit much for my modern eyes in their heyday. Fun fact: per our (very knowledgeable) guide, no one really knows what the ancient Egyptians used as a paint fixative. Whatever it was, it must have been very strong to survive 3000+ years in the elements!
That was really inter -- hold on, I'm playing some blues and need to turn that down. Okay, that's better. That was truly interesting and I remember how utterly crushed I was when I learned the majestic Roman statues I'd long loved had originally looked like something my six year old self would have dreamed up. LOL. And the history of blue is fascinating. I knew a bit but you expanded upon that greatly. So thanks!
So interesting how we are afraid of color--and the implications of it along cultural and racial lines as well. There's this great book called Chromophobia--you probably have heard of it or read it--but it talks all about that history of purging color or making it superficial, associated with vulgarity, etc. This also made me think of Maggie Nelson's Bluets, such a beautiful meditation on color. Love the history you uncover in this!
Late to the party, I know, but Mike, you should check out William Gass’ book *On Being Blue*. Gas’s is a philosopher/fiction writer (at George Washington University in St. Louis, I think?), and his short book is a long look at the figurative and literal uses of blue throughout history.
Wasn't blue also more expensive, which is why only boy babies (think China) got blue and girls got pink? Because Boys were revered and girls were expendable?
As you can see I'm massively behind in my reading - but I get there eventually! First I'd like to say that my favorite colors are blue and green but really they are specific shades of blue and green. I know this because over the years I've had an uncanny ability to buy the same shades of blue and green over and over without having something to compare too. And puke green is NOT the same as healthy green. In the colored pencil set sitting to my right I have about 30 shades of greens and blues and that's without blending. Now clothes are a different matter because the clothes I like for fit and comfort are not always available in my favorite shades, so I make due. My favorite place in the world is the pacific northwest and no surprise, the colors of green and blue dominate!
All that said - it is mind blowing that the ancient greek style was painted and all this time we've been sold the idea that it wasn't! It makes sense when you look at pottery tbh. Pottery has always had these "traditional" color patterns with a knowing that they have existed for a long time. But somehow art (I want to roll my eyes here) tried to play like that wasn't true. Lol. I would also like to know about those yoga pants, but then again if you are knitting with wool you can make tight fitting clothes, I'm just surprised they did!
And as always, I found this wonderful and interesting and facscinating. Thank you.
My favorite color doesn't have a name, at least, I don't think it does. It's that color that the tops of trees get at sunset, sort of a greenish-gold color that, to me anyway, feels nostalgic and peaceful. I recently learned of the color/term "alpenglow," which is the reddish glow of the tops of snowcapped mountains at sunset. That's not quite what I mean, but it's the closest I've come to finding a name for it. In your research have you come across anything that might name my color? Are there other non-traditional names of colors, like "alpenglow"?
It would be awesome to see a historical drama on tv or movie that actually replicated the bright and colorful version of Rome etc in its hey day.
As an aside, We watched a show on NHK last year about the dyes used on samurais armor and it was fascinating. There’s a type of rare red (madder?)plant that only grows in Japan That modern artisans were recently growing and processing / trying to replicate … the red was so colorfast that after a couple hundred years, the original woven thread was brighter than some synthetic red thread that had been used to repair some worn out areas decorating the armor, and the synthetic stuff faded after only 10-20 years. It takes years for the artisans to grow and make just a small amount of the dye, and they still couldn’t quite replicate the original. It must have been a very wealthy household that commissioned that armor back in the day; considering how much trouble they’re going to now with modern tools, microscopes, etc and they’re still not able to copy it just as it was!
I have a several forms of synesthesia including chromesthesia and color-grapheme. I play music to hears certain colors I associate with emotions and then I paint those colors. If you have any questions, please just ask! Love your newsletter.
What about yellow? I just bought an old train stop house in Sicily and it's yellow. When I told some Sicilian friends how much I love yellow and how great it is to have found a yellow house, one of them responded with, "Yellow is the color of Italy" - as in "duh, of course you found a yellow house - that's not unusual" :)
Blue is also the color of the currently trendy French Worker's Jacket, matching up with your point about blue jeans et al. Loved this issue! Proud to be a fellow ceruleaphile!
My favorite color is green, shade depending on the day. Right now as I read this I am sitting in my very bright, sherbet-y green kitchen, which makes me quite happy. Particularly in the middle of the winter, when Upstate NY is generally grey and snowy and terribly depressing. It was also my favorite color when I was a kid, but then I switched to red for several decades. Can't say exactly why. I think it seemed more assertive and fiery, which were states I aspired to for any number of years.
An interesting story about indigo, which is that in the U.S. most of the indigo cultivation and dyeing was done by slaves. A famous Quaker abolitionist named John Woolman, in protest, refused to wear any indigo-dyed clothes and only dressed in undyed homespun for the rest of his adult life. Not unlike Ghandi many years later, though with a lot more layers since he lived in New Jersey.
My favourite thing to do is get very grumpy when medieval churches on TV are plain, whitewashed buildings. They would have been lavishly decorated within an inch of their life in a way modern people would find terribly gaudy. All the whitewashing and ransacking of ornament was done in the 16th century reformation when decoration was felt too ostentatious to be Christian. Protestantism probably had a huge influence on our aesthetics in a way we don’t consider!
Love this, Mike! I’m reading a book right now called ‘The Secret Lives of Color’ by Kassia St. Clair. I look forward to Pantone’s announcement of color of the year every December and their thinking behind it as it relates to what’s going on in the world. My favorite color is also blue, reminder of sea and sky. Great article, when I saw the original colors and patterned tights on the statue I thought ‘Why is he wearing Missoni leggings?’ Congrats on 12,000! :)
So funny that you published this today, Mike--I happened to be in Luxor this weekend and was stunned by the vibrant color in the ancient Egyptians’ temples. And yes, the colors would definitely have been a bit much for my modern eyes in their heyday. Fun fact: per our (very knowledgeable) guide, no one really knows what the ancient Egyptians used as a paint fixative. Whatever it was, it must have been very strong to survive 3000+ years in the elements!
He’s wearing yoga pants! What an hilarious reframe of our perceptions of the past. Lovely read, and well done on 12k readers!!
That was really inter -- hold on, I'm playing some blues and need to turn that down. Okay, that's better. That was truly interesting and I remember how utterly crushed I was when I learned the majestic Roman statues I'd long loved had originally looked like something my six year old self would have dreamed up. LOL. And the history of blue is fascinating. I knew a bit but you expanded upon that greatly. So thanks!
So interesting how we are afraid of color--and the implications of it along cultural and racial lines as well. There's this great book called Chromophobia--you probably have heard of it or read it--but it talks all about that history of purging color or making it superficial, associated with vulgarity, etc. This also made me think of Maggie Nelson's Bluets, such a beautiful meditation on color. Love the history you uncover in this!
You would probably enjoy reading "The Fabric of Civilization" by Virginia Postrel, if you haven't already.
Late to the party, I know, but Mike, you should check out William Gass’ book *On Being Blue*. Gas’s is a philosopher/fiction writer (at George Washington University in St. Louis, I think?), and his short book is a long look at the figurative and literal uses of blue throughout history.
Wasn't blue also more expensive, which is why only boy babies (think China) got blue and girls got pink? Because Boys were revered and girls were expendable?
As you can see I'm massively behind in my reading - but I get there eventually! First I'd like to say that my favorite colors are blue and green but really they are specific shades of blue and green. I know this because over the years I've had an uncanny ability to buy the same shades of blue and green over and over without having something to compare too. And puke green is NOT the same as healthy green. In the colored pencil set sitting to my right I have about 30 shades of greens and blues and that's without blending. Now clothes are a different matter because the clothes I like for fit and comfort are not always available in my favorite shades, so I make due. My favorite place in the world is the pacific northwest and no surprise, the colors of green and blue dominate!
All that said - it is mind blowing that the ancient greek style was painted and all this time we've been sold the idea that it wasn't! It makes sense when you look at pottery tbh. Pottery has always had these "traditional" color patterns with a knowing that they have existed for a long time. But somehow art (I want to roll my eyes here) tried to play like that wasn't true. Lol. I would also like to know about those yoga pants, but then again if you are knitting with wool you can make tight fitting clothes, I'm just surprised they did!
And as always, I found this wonderful and interesting and facscinating. Thank you.
My favorite color doesn't have a name, at least, I don't think it does. It's that color that the tops of trees get at sunset, sort of a greenish-gold color that, to me anyway, feels nostalgic and peaceful. I recently learned of the color/term "alpenglow," which is the reddish glow of the tops of snowcapped mountains at sunset. That's not quite what I mean, but it's the closest I've come to finding a name for it. In your research have you come across anything that might name my color? Are there other non-traditional names of colors, like "alpenglow"?
It would be awesome to see a historical drama on tv or movie that actually replicated the bright and colorful version of Rome etc in its hey day.
As an aside, We watched a show on NHK last year about the dyes used on samurais armor and it was fascinating. There’s a type of rare red (madder?)plant that only grows in Japan That modern artisans were recently growing and processing / trying to replicate … the red was so colorfast that after a couple hundred years, the original woven thread was brighter than some synthetic red thread that had been used to repair some worn out areas decorating the armor, and the synthetic stuff faded after only 10-20 years. It takes years for the artisans to grow and make just a small amount of the dye, and they still couldn’t quite replicate the original. It must have been a very wealthy household that commissioned that armor back in the day; considering how much trouble they’re going to now with modern tools, microscopes, etc and they’re still not able to copy it just as it was!
I have a several forms of synesthesia including chromesthesia and color-grapheme. I play music to hears certain colors I associate with emotions and then I paint those colors. If you have any questions, please just ask! Love your newsletter.
What about yellow? I just bought an old train stop house in Sicily and it's yellow. When I told some Sicilian friends how much I love yellow and how great it is to have found a yellow house, one of them responded with, "Yellow is the color of Italy" - as in "duh, of course you found a yellow house - that's not unusual" :)
Blue is also the color of the currently trendy French Worker's Jacket, matching up with your point about blue jeans et al. Loved this issue! Proud to be a fellow ceruleaphile!