Colors of Agony

Ruth Ganley, an Interior Designer from Long Beach, California, asked several residents in her city and surrounding areas what colors they would use to describe 9/11. She says, "What I call 'Colors of Agony' were the most often chosen. Black symbolizes the dark day, ash gray represents steel and dust from The Towers, and fiery red describes the anger they felt as well as the blood spilled that day."

"I asked these same residents what colors they would use to describe the future of America. What I call 'Colors of Hope' were what they mentioned. Green for life and hope, white for moving forward, and American Flag Blue for freedom."

Tomorrow marks the 10th anniversary of that fateful day in our country; we will probably all pause to remember those lost in the attacks. I hope we can visualize those colors of hope that Ruth mentioned.

I will be posting on these colors of agony and hope in the future. Fine artists' birthdays follow:

September
Suzanne Valadon September 23, 1865
2	Romare Bearden, 1911
3	Louis Sullivan, 1856
7	Grandma Moses, 1860
7	Jacob Lawrence, 1917
7	Leo Sewell, 1945
12	Ben Shahn, 1898
12	Richard Hunt, 1935
13	Robert Indiana, 1928
16	Jean Arp, 1886
20	Hughie Lee-Smith, 1915
22	Alma Thomas, 1891
22	Jesús Bautista Moroles, 1950
23	Suzanne Valadon, 1865
23	Paul Delvaux, 1897
23	Louise Nevelson, 1899
26	Théodore Géricault, 1791
28	Caravaggio, 1573
29	François Boucher, 1703

One Black or Many?

During Medieval times, painters used ground up mineral pigments for color. The preparation of colors was a laborious process. Black pigments had a strong tendency to clump and were the most time-consuming to prepare.

No coloring agent yields a perfect black; they are either bluish or reddish---cool or warm. Black absorbs light and no paint or dye can quite achieve perfect absorption. Traditionally, natural blacks were obtained by mixing a very dark red-brown with a dark blue. In the 18th century, improved black dyes were made based on indigo and the woods logwood and sumac. These arrived just in time for the 19th century, in which black clothing, with its connotations of morality and modesty, was much prized.

Clerics, teachers, members of the legal and medical professions, and domestics all wore black. As the century progressed it became even more stylish. Dandies dressed in black, particularly in the evening; grieving women of wealth wore glossy black silk.


Like white, black is a color that does not exist in a pure form except in the imagination. It took centuries to create fine blacks in dyeing, but good carbon  black pigments, which absorb light well and approximate a true black, have been known and used since earliest antiquity. The color black has fascinated many artists, including the brilliant colorist Vincent van Gogh (1853-90).

The 20th century modernist Jean Dubuffet (1901-85)  stated, "Black is an abstraction; there is no black, only black things such as black satin, a black cloth, a spot of ink on paper, black shoe polish, black chimney soot and tar. But they are black in different ways, for there is the question of brilliance, whether they are matte or shiny, polished, rough, fine, and so forth, which is very important---the way an artist applies it is more important than the color."

Lilian Verner-Bonds, author of The New Life Library: Color Healing, states that "Black is the favorite color of those who keep control by not giving information to others. Black indicates that something is dormant or buried. It is connected to philosophical thoughts and ideals.

Someone who wears black continuously may be saying that there is something absent from his or her life. Negative black believes all is ended, there is nothing to look forward to. It is afraid of what is coming next.


But at the heart of black is discipline. Black can complete the incomplete. The mystic arts relate to black. There are no parts of the body specifically connected to black except when seen on x-rays or in the aura as disease. A black feather represents respect for the old. And, black foods heighten your awareness of the magic within you.


Wearing black jewellery will announce that you have hidden potential. Some see that dressing in black says 'I'm young, I'm ready and I'm totally in control.'


Negative black keywords: Destructively strong, troublesome, superior, despairing, and constrained.


But, to end on a positive note, the positive black keywords are: Beneficially strong, creative, idealistic, and secretly wealthy."

 

Royals' Favorite Colors

      Queen Cleopatra aroused the Romans' jealousy by flaunting luxurious purple sails on her royal barge. She was not timid about displaying her wealth in her wardrobe as well. Her untimely death plunged her realm into darkness in many ways as the non-flamboyant Romans pillaged her country.
      Queen Elizabeth I wore red during her youth, perhaps to compliment her red locks. After 1558, when she became queen of England, she began to dress in white to symbolize herself as the Virgin Queen. She also wore black to keep in step with Spanish fashion. Her other favorite colors for her wardrobe were gold for special occasions, and in subdued moods she wore peach, ash and tawny colors. After some of the Spanish ships transporting the highly prized red dyed goods produced in their colonies were captured by the English pirate ships, the rich color was seen more often in members of the English court. The queen had her servants dressed in scarlet livery, perhaps as a sign of the English victory over the Spanish Armada. Vivid colors denoted wealth and high status among those well connected in all realms. In contrast, the poor and penitential wore dull neutrals or black.
      During Queen Victoria's reign, a profusion of colors were harmonized by the simple act of darkening them until they all became relatively easily balanced tones, much like the colors in Turkish carpets which became commonplace in upper and middle class interiors. Garish colors made from the newly invented synthetic dyes, such as aniline purple, alizarin crimson, and chromium oxide green gained widespread use. The Victorians thought white made modish high ceilings seem excessively high and chilling. Heavy curtains and stained glass were used to help cut down the light coming inside.
      In a recent post, I revealed that PrinceWilliam's favorite color is blue while his wife Princess Catherine prefers white. Queen Elizabeth II wore yellow, her favorite hue, to their wedding.

ARTISTS' BIRTHDAYS-AUGUST
 6 ANDY WARHOL, 1928; 18 GUSTAVE CAILLEBOTTE, 1848
29 JEAN AUGUSTE INGRES, 1780; 30 JACQUES-LOUIS DAVID 1748


The latter two artists were the finest draftsmen France ever produced. Caillebotte was a subtle colorist who used black effectively. The American Warhol began with product-true colors as in his tomato-soup cans of 1962. He soon flamboyantly digressed into "off" colors--- pink, orange, acid yellow, mint green, mauve and cyan--- colors that were consciously non-naturalistic and influenced by color TV and the huge increase in full-color print advertising since WWII. Applied quite flat in harsh, ever-changing combinations, they were a rebuke to commerce for appropriating the rich language of color to non-aesthetic ends.

 

 
       

White, the shining color

White, the shining color

Recently, when Princess Catherine was asked about  her favorite color, she turned to Prince William and asked him what his favorite was. He immediately said, "Blue." (see my color blog on blue's properties dated 1 April, 2011)* She thought a moment longer then said, "White is my favorite color." In her honor, I present this blog on the color that contains all colors, revealed in a shaft of light passing through a prism.

 

Authors of Color in the Garden, Nori and Sandra Pope conclude: "White glows fluorescent, like gray and silver, it gleams in the half-light. It gives back more light than it receives, because it has the property of being able to bend invisible ultraviolet and infrared light into the visible spectrum. Add to this the fact that black-and-white vision is 1,000 times more sensitive than color vision---a statistic that gives a very good indication of the relative importance of white, both in its pure form and when mixed with other colors to give us pastels. A white garden is so fantastic in the light of the moon. The white, making no demands on the cones of the eye, gives the rods their time of triumph---perfect for vampires and other romantic walkers in the dark." 

 

Murray Moss, Interior Designer, recommends Benjamin Moore's "Super White" as a background because he thinks "Everything looks good against a true, clear, eye-chilling, freezing-cold white. It's like a snow blizzard, or Huck Finn's white-washed fence, or marshmallows, or sugar. ANYTHING PLACED AGAINST THAT BACKGROUND PROJECTS LIKE TECHNICOLOR." 

 

White has always been important to painters. From COLOR IN CONTEMPORARY PAINTING:INTEGRATING PRACTICE AND THEORY, author Charles Le Clair gives a bit of art history on the use of white.

"With the advent of open-air painting around 1850, artists discovered that working on white canvas instead of the traditional brown ground produced brighter, more 'modern' colors. A little later, the Impressionists popularized theories of prismatic colors and white light. When scientists discovered that sunlight can kill germs, shuttered windows were thrown open, and interior decorators turned from Victorian richness to 20th century whites and pastels. Old masters may still be shown in darkened rooms with picture lamps attached to frames, but galleries the world over assure the contemporary artist of floodlights and white, or near-white, walls. In the 1863 Salon des Refuses, American painter James McNeil Whistler set Paris on its ear with his 'Symphony in White No. 1: The White Girl.' It was a full length portrait of his Irish mistress posed in a white gown, on a white bearskin rug, against a white curtain." ('Whistler's Mother', also called 'A Portrait in Shades of Gray' was the first painting by an American purchased by the Louvre!)

 

WHY ART GALLRIES LOVE WHITE WALLS: Richard Gluckman recommends Benjamin Moore's "China White" if you are going to hang a lot of art. "It is a very subtle off-white with a gray tone that helps the work stand out." 

 

Good guys in movies are distinguished by the white hats they wear. The Lone Ranger rode to the rescue of the innocent on his white steed 'Silver.' 

 

I am so inspired by this color and its connotations I composed the following poem:

 

White is the Shining Color

Color of shimmering light

symbol of spirituality and of sanctity

worn by priestly orders of many cultures

including Muslims and the Catholic Pope.

Legend has it that Saint Catherine, when martyred,

bled this milky color when decapitated.

Capsule of all colors, yet signifying the unsullied

innocence of those being christened,

baptized, confirmed or wed, it also reveals

pure motives of knights and candidates

initiated into mystery cults.

Lucent, sparkly snow, the extravagance

of marble, ivory, porcelain, platinum, all sought for

palaces, towers, fine china and eternally binding rings

bespeaking luxury personified in pearly tints.

Too, through the centuries, this color

implied a plea for clemency; it is the color

of surrender-flags , non-resistance, and cease fire.

It appeals visually for peace and mercy.

Bleached bones, burial shrouds, sheets pulled up

to shield the deceased, ashen faces reflecting shock

or anemia, cream colored candles sputtering at altars

of lives twining, or lives departing.

Gamecocks signal their foe’s victory by raising

their hackles feathered with white.

During WWI men thought to be shirking military

service were anonymously sent an accusatory

white feather to shame their cowardice.

  Various cultures interpret white in various ways: For Apaches, it symbolizes north, the source of snow; for the Cherokees, it means peace and happiness and represents the south. In China and Japan white represents death and mourning. In India it shows unhappiness.

 

WHITE is associated with LIGHT, and all colors are present in true white light from a ray of sun filtered through a prism. Since white objects such as clouds, snow, and flowers appear often in nature, human culture has many references to white, often related to purity and cleanness.

            Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, wrote many paragraphs describing white’s cultural attributes. From his chapter XLII, The Whiteness of the Whale:

“In many natural objects, whiteness…enhances beauty, as if imparting some special beauty of its own as in marbles, japonicas, and pearls…among the Romans a white stone marked a joyful day…this same hue is the emblem of many touching, noble things---the innocence of brides, the benignity of age. Among the Red Men of America the giving of the white belt of wampum was the deepest pledge of honor; whiteness typifies the majesty of Justice in the ermine of the Judge and contributes to the daily state of kings and queens drawn by milk-white steeds…and in Greek mythologies Great Jove himself is made incarnate in a snow-white bull…the Iroquois’ mid-winter sacrifice of the Sacred White Dog…to the Great Spirit is known. Directly from the Latin word for white, all Christian priests derive the name of one part of their sacred vesture, the alb or tunic, worn beneath the cassock…white is specially employed in the celebration of the Passion of our Lord; in the vision of St. John white robes are given to the redeemed and the four-and-twenty elders stand clothed in white before the great white throne, and the Holy One that sitteth there white like wool; yet for all these accumulated associations, with whatever is sweet, and honorable, and sublime, there yet lurks an elusive something in the innermost idea of this hue, which strikes more of panic to the soul than that redness which affrights in blood…”

The gorgeous drawings above were done by Leonardo da Vinci as studies for his painting of 'Leda and the Swan.' In this case, the white swam, Zeus in disguise, played the villain.

 

Pink for Brunettes

Brunettes need Pink Too. Carrying on from my previous blog about the pinks interior designers designated as their faves for blondes, our focus on pink and other favorite colors for brunettes has many witty ID's adding their comments.

"Speaking as a brunette, (albeit a highlighted one) I think we look better in rooms that reflect our dark and mysterious nature. Benjamin Moore's 'Topeka Taupe# 1463' is a JOHN SINGER SARGENT brown with a bit of gray, which makes it more interesting. He loved using dark backgrounds in his portraits. A bedroom in this color would be soothing, restful, and sexy. A very important contrast would be the elusive shell pink, Benjamin Moore's 'Bride To Be 1009,' perhaps use it on the trim or ceiling, recommends Madeline Stuart. Barbara Barry loves the soft blush that diffuses the light and makes your skin seem flawless by using Benjamin Moore's 'Bashful 1171.' She finds this the perfect backdrop for a brunette because "it highlights that reddish undertone and makes dark hair look rich and regal. Also, it strikes the perfect balance, toned down enough to be a neutral but definitely there, like a great perfume."

Mary McDonald recommends 'Fine Paints of Europe 7195' because "I think red is a sexy color for brunettes. We can handle strong colors that would eat up a blonde. This is more of a blue red than a tomatoey country red. It's sultry and sophisticated, guaranteed to bring out the Dita von Teese in anyone."

"All of us brunettes, whether Asian, African-American, or that brown-eyed girl Van Morrison sang about, have one thing to be grateful for. When was the last time you heard of a dumb brunette? There's not a color we can't use, and we'll always be better with more of it. Sherwin-Williams 'Stop SW6869' is a geisha-mouth, cayenne papper red, something a hummingbird swoons toward. It just howls to be painted on a floor somewhere---your own red carpet."

Traveler Jarrett Hedborg finds Benjamin Moore's 'True Pink 2003-40' perfect. "I can't think of a better room for a brunette than Harry's Bar in Florence, Italy, with begonia pink walls and dark wainscoting. The tablecloths and napkins are the same pink with a hint of blue in it, which makes it a tad cooler. Rich colors are really flattering to brunettes, while blondes just fade away. Stay away from sweet, or anything that looks like it would be appropriate for Easter."

Amy Lau chimes in with a recommendation for KT Color, 'Rouge Framboise LC32.101.' "I am completely in love with these paints, originally made for LE CORBUSIER and mixed with pure artist's pigments to get these super-saturated jewel tones. This is the color of garnets, rubies, Japanese maple leaves, that red dress you wear on a first date that really sizzles. I see it in a dining room with red wine, a five-course meal, candlelight, and twinkling glasses."

Orange is an off-shoot of red, just like pink, with yellow added rather than white, and the following ID's lean more toward the palette of peach to orange.

"I'm Italian, and it's very Italian to use orange. Think of those luxury brands with orange logos, Hermes and Pratesi. I see it lacquered on a ceiling, with cream walls. Or you could get that faded Tuscan feeling by using it as a wsh in the living room. A lacquered orange library with black bookshelves would be totally sensational, super modern, super chic" says Milly de Cabrol. She loves to use Ralph Lauren Paint's 'Baja Orange 1862.'

Sara Bengur has similar sentiments. She states: "In Mediterranean cultures, you see a lot of brunettes and a lot of orange. Yolo Colorhouse's 'Petal 01' is vibrant and happy, yet toned down with a little brown, so it feels natural. These paints from Yolo Colorhouse are environmentally friendly with no VOCs and a warm, earthy palette. I'd like to use this color, 'Petal 01' in my bathroom or a sitting room with lots of books. I would also bring in accents of turquoise, yellow and red, the brighter the better so they would play off of each other."

Susan Zises Green favors peachy tones. "What makes a dark-haired woman look good is a glow of color. Benjamin Moore's 'Perky Peach 2012-50' is this soft, sensual peach which has the romance of candle light and the warmth of cashmere. If a woman paints her bedroom this color, a man might think it's too feminine until he's in it. But then he would feel enveloped and embraced, warm, cozy, taken care of---all these things people like to feel."

The enlightening quotes above are taken from House Beautiful's "500 Favorite Paint Colors" published in 2010. May your rooms glow a flattering tint onto your life. I hope you will look up JOHN SINGER SARGENT and LE CORBUSIER to see if you agree with the Interior Designers who referenced them.

In NUMEROLOGY KEY TO COLOR PERSONALITY, by interior designer Ellen Kennon,  if Rose or Pink are your faves, this color connotes that your main qualities are strength, love, and leadership. You turn visions into reality. If you have a proclivity for Orange is dominant, then you are balanced both mentally and physically. You are happy, loyal, and take each day as it comes.

Pink's Color Story

          This picture was taken near sunset at the Tulsa Garden Center. Its glowing color inspired this post. So much has been written about pink, it must be an easy color to live with and is loved by many, even men.

Pink’s Color Story

            Pink is soothing, comfortable, undemanding, restful to the eye and brain, pleasant and inoffensive. At the same time such a positive color connotations and phrases such as ---pretty in pink, in the pink, tickled pink---helps troubled folks relax. “Bubble Gum Pink” colors the walls in some insane asylums to calm patients down according to color psychologists.

            Pink is a simple pastel, a combination of red and white. Although it does not have a place in the standard color spectrum, Tricia Guild in her book On Color for one, argues that it is a color in its own right, indicating that the spectrum is more a matter of physics than of perception.

“Certainly pink is unique among simple pastels in having been accorded a specific name. The white in palest pink is the ‘color’ linking it with other pastels, the adhesive force. In all pastel hues, both absorption and reflection of light are moderate, because of the white dilution. Depending on how much white it contains, pink encompasses many shades, from the subdued color sometimes known as dawn pink to a flamboyant magenta. This variability makes it adaptable for use with many other colors, both primary and secondary.

            In interior design, pink is often the choice for bedrooms, where it is used to create an ambience of relaxation and calm. Pink brings light to a dark room. It also carries with it an element of sweetness and frivolity. But watch out, just like red, pink has a warm yellow side and a cool blue side, and associating the two can be tricky, especially in make-up.

            The theatrical aspects of the color come into play with hot pink and magenta. Magenta is another of the aniline dyes, based on coal tar, and was one of the first synthetic dyes to be commercially produced around 1860 in more of a mauve tint. Magenta comes from the blue side of red, its effect is to exert the invisible energies of both infrared and ultraviolet, making it the most dynamic shade in this color range. Perhaps it is fitting that it was named after a battle at Magenta in Lombardy, Italy in 1859.”

           It is a shame that such a gorgeous color was named after a battle, but labels do not take away from the beauty of a color. 

           Various interior designers recommend pink among the colors to use in rooms to make you look younger! Suzanne Kasler recommends Glidden's CHECKERBERRY 32RR 50/260 "because it is a gorgeous

peony pink, with a bit of raspberry in it. That undertone is what keeps it from looking sickeningly sweet. It's a happy, cheerful color that makes everyone look younger, even the house!" For the timid, she recommends painting only one wall with this color. Charalotte Moss recommends Benjamin Moore's RAZZLE DAZZLE 1348. Her comments: "Hot pink. What other colors do you know that start with 'hot?' Hot pink makes me feel ready to cha-cha. I think of zinnias, poppies, bougainvillea, strawberry souffle, and sassy skirts. It's vibrant and alive, opent o possibilities. Why don't you high-gloss your dressing room or bathroom? Who needs Starbucks after that?"

             

            Michele Bernhardt of colorstrology.com prescribes the colors you crave more of for your house. "Pink opens the heart. Gentle and soothing, pink is the color of love. It promotes tenderness and is a comfort in times of emotional transition. Use it in a room when you are trying to increase receptivity and understanding." She also recommends, as do I, using pink-tinted light bulbs to make complexions look rosy. Just for fun, she suggests using pink for your cell phone color. And, rose wines always look so refreshing.

            "Why not paint a powder room in the hot pink of a Gerbera daisy" asks Randall Beale, Interior Designer. "There's nothing more chic than hot pink walls with a white marble floor and countertop. I would use this in high-gloss lacquer, because it's all about shine today." The color he recommends is Benjamin Moore's PEONY 2079-30.

             Carol Prisant, another wonderful ID, is unapologetically stuck on bubble-gum pink. She shares a secret with us: "In the interest of full disclosure, I'd have to admit that I love pink rooms because in my innermost soul, I'm still brunette (her hair seems to be an ash blonde at the moment) . Remember 'blue is for blondes and pink is for brunettes'? On the other hand, Diva, my naturally blonde terrier, looks wicked in pink, and is." Carol especially likes Ralph Lauren Paint's HIBISCUS GH133. 

             Echoing Carol's enthusiasm for pink, Mimi McMakin recommends Farrow & Ball's PINK GROUND 202. "Being blonde is almost like being a dandle, and when you look especially great, you're a strutting candle! We look best in what I like to think of as 'cool heat.'

             "I love a pale, pale pink. But not pure pink. The nicest pink is something that has a little lavender in it, maybe. I'd never paint my walls as colorfully as I dress, and even in New York, I don't wear black." Angele Parlange adores Benjamin Moore's PAISLEY PINK 1261.

              The final decorator who opined about blondes and colors: "It all depends on your age, your skin tone, and whether or not you're a natural blonde. But no pale pinks. I find that blondes in the South like blues, and in colder climates, reds. Although being in red rooms makes you hungry, so maybe it's just big blondes who should have red walls!" Alessandra Branca recommends Farrow & Ball's RECTORY RED 217 instead of a pink.

(Decorators' comments taken from HOUSE BEAUTIFUL: 500+FAVORITE PAINT COLORS from Spring/Summer 2010.)

Color in Weddings

June is the month associated with weddings. Do you remember this old song sung by perky Doris Day, and others?

By the light of the silvery moon
I want to spoon
To my honey, I'll croon love's tune
Honey moon, keep a-shinin' in June
Your silvery beams will bring love's dreams
We'll be cuddlin' soon
By the silvery moon

The following suggestions for wedding party attire should certainly add a jolt of color to the nuptials. They are suggested by Justine Lorelle Blanchard from MCT News Service

10 WEDDING COLORS FOR EVERY STYLE

"A modern bride needs a wedding color combo that can keep up. WeddingChannel.com offers these 10 palette ideas for a color scheme that's ahead of the curve.
Fuchsia + Eggplant
Here's a girlie color palette that isn't too sweet. The bright fuchsia gets just the right touch of elegance paired with the more muted deep purple.
Sunshine + Aqua
Perfect for modern spring weddings, this cheerful combo works just as well on the beach as it does in a garden. Play up the light blue green in details like signs, linens or bridesmaid dresses; bring in the yellow in the flowers.
Red + White + Black
The best part about this palette is its versatility. It can be formal with tall, topiary-style centerpieces and artsy lanterns, or feel more relaxed with '50s-inspired touches like diner eats and photo booths.
Yellow + Slate Gray
Plan a summer wedding in the city with this chic combo. The colors can easily inspire vintage patterns, delicate fabrics and lush flowers that soften the gray and add warmth.
Cherry Red + Aqua
Perfect for an outdoor summer wedding, stick to the aqua for your linens and table decor, and dress your bridesmaids in deep red for a bold, retro-inspired look.
Navy + Lime
This sleek statement is ideal for a modern urban wedding. The navy adds sophistication, while the lime keeps it from being too serious. Pair the colors with white accents.
Pink + Grass Green
Fresh and pretty, this contemporary palette can bring the feeling of an outdoor wedding indoors.
Clementine + Sour-Apple
Don't worry; this combo isn't as tart as it sounds. Bright greens (think: hypericum berries and hydrangeas) mix perfectly with vivid orange (try citrus-colored roses and bridesmaid dresses).
Purple + Lavender + Silver
For a cool mix of masculine and feminine shades, pair a soft-purple palette with striking pewter details. Give the look depth with complex patterns and deluxe materials like silk and satin.
Turquoise + Orange + Lemon
For fun-loving brides and grooms, it's a great way to keep the reception playful without having color overload."