Showing posts with label History of color. Show all posts
Showing posts with label History of color. Show all posts
color psychology in logo design - infographic
Our minds are inherently programmed to respond to color. They shape our thoughts and emotion.
The Psychology of Color (infographic)
Choosing right colors in web-design is an important part when you make something new. As usual, people rely on their own subjective thoughts, without thinking how important color is. Actually, every color has own associations. I think that this is very interesting and useful to understand the psychology of color.
Original source: The Psychology of Color
Color space conversion
Color space conversion is what happens when a color management module (CMM) translates color from one device's space to another. Conversion may require approximations in order to preserve the image's most important color qualities. Knowing how these approximations work can help you control how the photo may change — hopefully maintaining the intended look or mood.
BACKGROUND: GAMUT MISMATCH & RENDERING INTENT
The translation stage attempts to create a best match between devices — even when seemingly incompatible. If the original device has a larger color gamut than the final device, some of the those colors will be outside the final device's color space. These "out-of-gamut colors" occur with nearly every conversion and are called a gamut mismatch.
Each time a gamut mismatch occurs, the CMM uses the rendering intent to decide what qualities of the image it should prioritize. Common rendering intents include: absolute and relative colorimetric, perceptual, and saturation. Each of these types maintains one property of color at the expense of others (described below).
PERCEPTUAL & RELATIVE COLORIMETRIC INTENT
Perceptual and relative colorimetric rendering are probably the most useful conversion types for digital photography. Each places a different priority on how they render colors within the gamut mismatch region. Relative colorimetric maintains a near exact relationship between in gamut colors, even if this clips out of gamut colors. In contrast, perceptual rendering tries to also preserve some relationship between out of gamut colors, even if this results in inaccuracies for in gamut colors. The following example demonstrates an extreme case for an image within a 1-D black-magenta color space:
Note how perceptual maintains smooth color gradations throughout by compressing the entire tonal range, whereas relative colorimetric clips out of gamut colors (at center of magenta globules and in the darkness between them). For 2D and 3D color spaces, relative colorimetric maps these to the closest reproducible hue in the destination space.
Even though perceptual rendering compresses the entire gamut, note how it remaps the central tones more precisely than those at the edges of the gamut. The exact conversion depends on what CMM is used for the conversion; Adobe ACE, Microsoft ICM and Apple ColorSynch are some of the most common.
Another distinction is that perceptual does not destroy any color information — it just redistributes it. Relative colorimetric, on the other hand, does destroy color information. This means that conversion using relative colorimetric intent is irreversible, while perceptual can be reversed. This is not to say that converting from space A to B and then back to A again using perceptual will reproduce the original; this would require careful use of tone curves to reverse the color compression caused by the conversion.
ABSOLUTE COLORIMETRIC INTENT
Absolute is similar to relative colorimetric in that it preserves in gamut colors and clips those out of gamut, but they differ in how each handles the white point. The white point is the location of the purest and lightest white in a color space. If one were to draw a line between the white and black points, this would pass through the most neutral colors.
The location of this line often changes between color spaces, as shown by the "+" on the top right. Relative colorimetric skews the colors within gamut so that the white point of one space aligns with that of the other, while absolute colorimetric preserves colors exactly (without regard to changing white point). To illustrate this, the example below shows two theoretical spaces that have identical gamuts, but different white points:
SATURATION INTENT
Saturation rendering intent tries to preserve saturated colors, and is most useful when trying to retain color purity in computer graphics when converting into a larger color space. If the original RGB device contained pure (fully saturated) colors, then saturation intent ensures that those colors will remain saturated in the new color space — even if this causes the colors to become relatively more extreme.
Saturation intent is not desirable for photos because it does not attempt to maintain color realism. Maintaining color saturation may come at the expense of changes in hue and lightness, which is usually an unacceptable trade-off for photo reproduction. On the other hand, this is often acceptable for computer graphics such as pie charts.
Another use for saturation intent is to avoid visible dithering when printing computer graphics on inkjet printers. Some dithering may be unavoidable as inkjet printers never have an ink to match every color, however saturation intent can minimize those cases where dithering is sparse because the color is very close to being pure.
PAY ATTENTION TO IMAGE CONTENT
One must take the range of image colors present into account; just because an image is defined by a large color space does not mean that it actually utilizes all of those extreme colors. If the destination color space fully encompasses the image's colors (despite being smaller than the original space), then relative colorimetric will yield a more accurate result.
The above image barely utilizes the gamut of your computer display device, which is actually typical of many photographic images. If one were to convert the above image into a destination space which had less saturated reds and greens, this would not place any image colors outside the destination space. For such cases, relative colorimetric would yield more accurate results. This is because perceptual intent compresses the entire color gamut — regardless of whether these colors are actually utilized.
SHADOW & HIGHLIGHT DETAIL IN 3D COLOR SPACES
Real-world photographs utilize three-dimensional color spaces, even though up until now we have been primarily analyzing spaces in one and two dimensions. The most important consequence of rendering intent on 3D color spaces is how it affects shadow and highlight detail.
If the destination space can no longer reproduce subtle dark tones and highlights, this detail may be clipped when using relative/absolute colorimetric intent. Perceptual intent compresses these dark and light tones to fit within the new space, however it does this at the cost of reducing overall contrast (relative to what would have been produced with colorimetric intent).
The conversion difference between perceptual and relative colorimetric is similar to what was demonstrated earlier with the magenta image. The main difference is that now the compression or clipping occurs in the vertical dimension — for shadows and highlight colors. Most prints cannot produce the range of light to dark that we may see on our computer display, so this aspect is of particular importance when making a print of a digital photograph.
Using the "black point compensation" setting can help avoid shadow clipping — even with absolute and relative colorimetric intents. This is available in the conversion properties of nearly all software which supports color management (such as Adobe Photoshop).
The decision about when to use each of these depends on image content and the intended purpose. Images with intense colors (such as bright sunsets or well-lit floral arrangements) will preserve more of their color gradation in extreme colors using perceptual intent. On the other hand, this may come at the expense of compressing or dulling more moderate colors. Images with more subtle tones (such as some portraits) often stand to benefit more from the increased accuracy of relative colorimetric (assuming no colors are placed within the gamut mismatch region). Perceptual intent is overall the safest bet for general and batch use, unless you know specifics about each image.
BACKGROUND: GAMUT MISMATCH & RENDERING INTENT
The translation stage attempts to create a best match between devices — even when seemingly incompatible. If the original device has a larger color gamut than the final device, some of the those colors will be outside the final device's color space. These "out-of-gamut colors" occur with nearly every conversion and are called a gamut mismatch.
Each time a gamut mismatch occurs, the CMM uses the rendering intent to decide what qualities of the image it should prioritize. Common rendering intents include: absolute and relative colorimetric, perceptual, and saturation. Each of these types maintains one property of color at the expense of others (described below).
PERCEPTUAL & RELATIVE COLORIMETRIC INTENT
Perceptual and relative colorimetric rendering are probably the most useful conversion types for digital photography. Each places a different priority on how they render colors within the gamut mismatch region. Relative colorimetric maintains a near exact relationship between in gamut colors, even if this clips out of gamut colors. In contrast, perceptual rendering tries to also preserve some relationship between out of gamut colors, even if this results in inaccuracies for in gamut colors. The following example demonstrates an extreme case for an image within a 1-D black-magenta color space:
Note how perceptual maintains smooth color gradations throughout by compressing the entire tonal range, whereas relative colorimetric clips out of gamut colors (at center of magenta globules and in the darkness between them). For 2D and 3D color spaces, relative colorimetric maps these to the closest reproducible hue in the destination space.
Even though perceptual rendering compresses the entire gamut, note how it remaps the central tones more precisely than those at the edges of the gamut. The exact conversion depends on what CMM is used for the conversion; Adobe ACE, Microsoft ICM and Apple ColorSynch are some of the most common.
Another distinction is that perceptual does not destroy any color information — it just redistributes it. Relative colorimetric, on the other hand, does destroy color information. This means that conversion using relative colorimetric intent is irreversible, while perceptual can be reversed. This is not to say that converting from space A to B and then back to A again using perceptual will reproduce the original; this would require careful use of tone curves to reverse the color compression caused by the conversion.
ABSOLUTE COLORIMETRIC INTENT
Absolute is similar to relative colorimetric in that it preserves in gamut colors and clips those out of gamut, but they differ in how each handles the white point. The white point is the location of the purest and lightest white in a color space. If one were to draw a line between the white and black points, this would pass through the most neutral colors.
The location of this line often changes between color spaces, as shown by the "+" on the top right. Relative colorimetric skews the colors within gamut so that the white point of one space aligns with that of the other, while absolute colorimetric preserves colors exactly (without regard to changing white point). To illustrate this, the example below shows two theoretical spaces that have identical gamuts, but different white points:
SATURATION INTENT
Saturation rendering intent tries to preserve saturated colors, and is most useful when trying to retain color purity in computer graphics when converting into a larger color space. If the original RGB device contained pure (fully saturated) colors, then saturation intent ensures that those colors will remain saturated in the new color space — even if this causes the colors to become relatively more extreme.
Saturation intent is not desirable for photos because it does not attempt to maintain color realism. Maintaining color saturation may come at the expense of changes in hue and lightness, which is usually an unacceptable trade-off for photo reproduction. On the other hand, this is often acceptable for computer graphics such as pie charts.
Another use for saturation intent is to avoid visible dithering when printing computer graphics on inkjet printers. Some dithering may be unavoidable as inkjet printers never have an ink to match every color, however saturation intent can minimize those cases where dithering is sparse because the color is very close to being pure.
PAY ATTENTION TO IMAGE CONTENT
One must take the range of image colors present into account; just because an image is defined by a large color space does not mean that it actually utilizes all of those extreme colors. If the destination color space fully encompasses the image's colors (despite being smaller than the original space), then relative colorimetric will yield a more accurate result.
The above image barely utilizes the gamut of your computer display device, which is actually typical of many photographic images. If one were to convert the above image into a destination space which had less saturated reds and greens, this would not place any image colors outside the destination space. For such cases, relative colorimetric would yield more accurate results. This is because perceptual intent compresses the entire color gamut — regardless of whether these colors are actually utilized.
SHADOW & HIGHLIGHT DETAIL IN 3D COLOR SPACES
Real-world photographs utilize three-dimensional color spaces, even though up until now we have been primarily analyzing spaces in one and two dimensions. The most important consequence of rendering intent on 3D color spaces is how it affects shadow and highlight detail.
The conversion difference between perceptual and relative colorimetric is similar to what was demonstrated earlier with the magenta image. The main difference is that now the compression or clipping occurs in the vertical dimension — for shadows and highlight colors. Most prints cannot produce the range of light to dark that we may see on our computer display, so this aspect is of particular importance when making a print of a digital photograph.
Using the "black point compensation" setting can help avoid shadow clipping — even with absolute and relative colorimetric intents. This is available in the conversion properties of nearly all software which supports color management (such as Adobe Photoshop).
The decision about when to use each of these depends on image content and the intended purpose. Images with intense colors (such as bright sunsets or well-lit floral arrangements) will preserve more of their color gradation in extreme colors using perceptual intent. On the other hand, this may come at the expense of compressing or dulling more moderate colors. Images with more subtle tones (such as some portraits) often stand to benefit more from the increased accuracy of relative colorimetric (assuming no colors are placed within the gamut mismatch region). Perceptual intent is overall the safest bet for general and batch use, unless you know specifics about each image.
The Effects and Moods of Color
The Effects and Moods of Color:The colors of 'Cold': Colors like Blue, green and Blue-green are associated with cold, and calm. Use these colors to promote a feeling of austerity, cleanliness, invigorating freshness, coldness.
The colors of 'Cool': Blue is the base for these colors but added are reds and yellows to bring out a wide range of color from minty green to a soft violet. These colors help promote a feeling of calm, serenity, trust and relaxation.
The colors of 'Hot': Red is the highest chroma color there is...simply put it is the most powerful hue. A hot color may evoke strong emotional responses, and has been known to stimulate physical activity and sexual desire. Use hot colors if you are wanting an aggressive feel or want something to really stand out amongst others. Note: Even though red is the strongest of hues, placing a high chroma yellow in any designsd or work of art will draw the eye first.
The colors of 'Warmth': Based in Red but softened and suffused with orange and yellows. Warm colors are often used to suggest comfort and warm heartfelt emotions.
The colors of 'Darkness': No these are not the colors of evil. They are often used to reduce space. These colors are also used so that lighter colors can stand out greater and be more effective. These colors are somber, and can suggest melancholy and solidity.
The colors of 'Light': These colors are barely colors at all they exist merely as suggestions and hints of colors. They are the opposite of darkness, and they are often used to open up a space or evoke a feeling of openess.
The colors of 'Pastel': These pale colors are hues tinted with large amounts of white and are very soft in nature. The bring out a mood of innocence, fond memories, and romance.
The colors of 'Intensity': The colors of intensity are high chroma colors, pure and when used seem to scream their message. Great for attention grabbing.
The Color Schemes:
Achromatic: Achromatic schemes are made up of Black and Whites and the various range of neutral grays they produce. You can give achromatics a temperature by adding a small touch of another color.Monochromatic: If you take a basic hue from the color wheel and use it and only its various tints and shades. The monochromatic scheme is usually a safe bet for pleasabilty factor. However it can often be the fall back scheme for designer and artists that are afraid to play with color.
Analoguos: An analoguous (say that 5 times fast) are three colors that are adjacent (side by side) on the color wheel. These colors are often harmonious and easy on the eye.
Primary:The playground colors. Made famous by such painters such as Mondrian (he rarely if ever used green in work), the Primary scheme is made up of a mixture of the Red, Blue and Yellow and is strong and energetic.
Secondary: The secondary scheme is made up of orange, green and violet. This scheme can aslo be energitic, and fresh.
Tertiary Triad: This ones a bit complicated and hard to conceptualize: but basically there are two schemes of three tertiary colors that are equidistant (Draw a equilateral triangle on the color wheel.) A basic Triadic scheme is when three colors are equidistant on the wheel.
references : http://www.tigercolor.com
download tiger color product :http://www.tigercolor.com/Download
find your color here: http://www.wellstyled.com
http://www.colorschemer.com
http://beta.dailycolorscheme.com
http://www.colourlovers.com
Color Theory
However much of the terminology and information can be used for both spectrums. I hope you find this useful.
Color Theory: As far back as man can recall, color has played an important part in communication, psycology and even physical health. Let's face it, color has power.Your choice of color whether it be for interior design, graphic design, or fine art, can set the mood, and effect the viewer in many way ways. Knowing how certain colors reach a particular target market or elicit a specific emotional response is important for the practicing designer or artist.
Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications. All the information would fill several encyclopedias. As an introduction, here are a few basic concepts.
Let's Start with the Basics:
The color wheel - This very important and sometimes intimidating device is essential to designers and artists alike.
You will see why later in the discussion. (Colors are approximations only) The color wheel is made up of 12 basic hues. 3 Primary 3 Secondary (Mixture of 2 primaries) 6 Tertiary (Mixture of a primary and a secondary)
The Color Wheel
In traditional color theory, these are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues
Red- emotional and active, danger, love, warmth, life
Blue- passive, soft, cool, watery
Yellow- warm, vibrant, the closest to light and warmth
Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colors.
These are the colors formed by mixing a primary and a secondary color. That's why the hue is a two word name, such as blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation.
Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium.Some Formulas for Color Harmony.There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas .
Value: The value of a color is its 'lightness' or 'brightness'. Now it might seem that chroma and value are the same thing but they are not. For example, if you take two high chroma colors like Blue and Yellow, Yellow has the higher value than blue because its 'brighter'.
Tone: A tone is any hue mixed with a grey (grey is a neutral of black and white)
Tint: A Tint is a hue mixed with white.
Shade: A shade is a hue mixed with black.
Complimentary Color: The color that is on the exact opposite side of the color wheel of one color. A neutral color is created when you mix these two colors together.
TIPS: When painting it is often better to use a color's compliment to darken an area of shadow rather than black. The reason being, it creates a richer more realistic shadow and when blacks are used in shadow they tend to 'flatten' them out.
references:
https://www.glidden.com
http://colormatters.blogspot.com
Color Theory: As far back as man can recall, color has played an important part in communication, psycology and even physical health. Let's face it, color has power.Your choice of color whether it be for interior design, graphic design, or fine art, can set the mood, and effect the viewer in many way ways. Knowing how certain colors reach a particular target market or elicit a specific emotional response is important for the practicing designer or artist.
Color theory encompasses a multitude of definitions, concepts and design applications. All the information would fill several encyclopedias. As an introduction, here are a few basic concepts.
Let's Start with the Basics:
The color wheel - This very important and sometimes intimidating device is essential to designers and artists alike.
You will see why later in the discussion. (Colors are approximations only) The color wheel is made up of 12 basic hues. 3 Primary 3 Secondary (Mixture of 2 primaries) 6 Tertiary (Mixture of a primary and a secondary)
The Color Wheel
PRIMARY COLORS
Red, yellow and blue
In traditional color theory, these are the 3 pigment colors that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors. All other colors are derived from these 3 hues
Red- emotional and active, danger, love, warmth, life
Blue- passive, soft, cool, watery
Yellow- warm, vibrant, the closest to light and warmth
SECONDARY COLORS
Green, orange and purple
TERTIARY COLORS
Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green.
COLOR HARMONY
Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry, color, or even an ice cream sundae.In visual experiences, harmony is something that is pleasing to the eye. It engages the viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When something is not harmonious, it's either boring or chaotic. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so bland that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone, so chaotic that the viewer can't stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not organize, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical structure. Color harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.In summary, extreme unity leads to under-stimulation, extreme complexity leads to over-stimulation.Harmony is a dynamic equilibrium.Some Formulas for Color Harmony.There are many theories for harmony. The following illustrations and descriptions present some basic formulas .
Some Color Terminology:
Hue: The term hue is used to describe any pure color, with the exception of Black or White.
Chroma/Chromaticity: The chromaticity of a color is its saturation or intensity. For example if we are using an RGB palette a high chromaticity blue might be 0,0,255 or Red has a higher chromaticity than pink.
Hue: The term hue is used to describe any pure color, with the exception of Black or White.
Value: The value of a color is its 'lightness' or 'brightness'. Now it might seem that chroma and value are the same thing but they are not. For example, if you take two high chroma colors like Blue and Yellow, Yellow has the higher value than blue because its 'brighter'.
Tone: A tone is any hue mixed with a grey (grey is a neutral of black and white)
Tint: A Tint is a hue mixed with white.
Shade: A shade is a hue mixed with black.
Complimentary Color: The color that is on the exact opposite side of the color wheel of one color. A neutral color is created when you mix these two colors together.
TIPS: When painting it is often better to use a color's compliment to darken an area of shadow rather than black. The reason being, it creates a richer more realistic shadow and when blacks are used in shadow they tend to 'flatten' them out.
references:
https://www.glidden.com
http://colormatters.blogspot.com
history of color
The world of natural color around us is enhanced by the use of dyes. Color is an expression of "feeling". Color can affect our emotions. The colors we surround ourselves with create certain feelings in us and for others, especially their perception of us. Commercial enterprises place great importance on their business image. Of priority is the choice of "company colors". Colors play an important role in our economy.
Colour has been investigated and used for more than 2000 years. Throughout history, different civilizations have experimented and learned more about colour. We are still learning today about how colour affects us and its importance in our lives.
Earliest Times of Colour
The ancient Egyptians have been recorded to have been using colour for cures and ailments. They worshipped the sun, knowing that without light there can be no life. They looked at nature and copied it in many aspects of their lives. The floors of their temples were often green - as the grass which then grew alongside their river, the Nile. Blue was a very important colour to the Egyptians too; the colour of the sky. They built temples for healing and used gems (crystals) through which the sunlight shone. They would have different rooms for different colours.
There are lists on papyrus dating back to 1550 BC of colour "cures".Their deep knowledge and understanding of the healing powers of the colour rays was so nearly lost when, later on in history, the Greeks considered colour only as a science. Hippocrates, amongst others, abandoned the metaphysical side of colour, concentrating only on the scientific aspect. Fortunately, despite this, the knowledge and philosophy of colour was handed down through the ages by a few.The Chinese also apparently practiced Colour Healing. The Nei/ching, 2000 years old, records colour diagnoses.
Early Colour Studies
Some of the early studies and theories about light were done by Aristotle. He discovered that by mixing two colours, a third is produced. He did this with a yellow and blue piece of glass, which when brought together produced green. He also discovered that light travels in waves. Plato and Pythagoras also studied light.
The Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, Paracelsus reintroduced the knowledge and philosophy of colour using the power of the colour rays for healing along with music and herbs. Unfortunately, the poor man was hounded throughout Europe and ridiculed for his work. Most of his manuscripts were burnt, but now he is thought of, by many, to be one of the greatest doctors and healers of his time. A man, it would seem, very much ahead of his time. Not only do we now use Colour Therapy once again, but, his other ideas, using herbs and music in healing, can also be seen reflected in many of the complementary therapies now quite commonplace.
Issac Newton (1642 - 1727)
Issac Newton a pioneer of colour
A pioneer in the field of colour, Isaac Newton in 1672, published his first, controversial paper on colour, and forty years later, his work 'Opticks'.
Newton passed a beam of sunlight through a prism. When the light came out of the prism is was not white but was of seven different colours: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. The spreading into rays was called dispersion by Newton and he called the different coloured rays the spectrum.
He learnt that when the light rays were passed again through a prism the rays turned back into white light. If only one ray was passed through the prism it would come out the same colour as it went in. Newton concluded that white light was made up of seven different coloured rays. Modern Day Thinking
Black is not a bad colour
It is also interesting to look at the different phases in history and how those phases have been reflected in the colours generally worn at those times. During times of severity and propriety the code of dress was very much dominated by black and grey. The Victorians mainly wore black - influenced by the Queen's long period of mourning no doubt - and were, in many ways, quite austere and, it has to be said, in many ways not very colourful. The Puritans too, of course, dressed in black. This is not to say that black is a bad colour. Every colour has its positive and negative aspects. Wearing black with another colour can enhance that other colour's energy. Black can also give the space sometimes needed for reflection and inner searching. It can indicate inner strength and the possibility for change.
Before the last war it was noted that a lot of red was being worn. Red in its most positive is the colour for courage, strength and pioneering spirit, all of which were much needed by the men and women who were fighting that war. However, in the most negative aspect, it is the colour of anger, violence and brutality. As the war was coming to an end, pale blue became a popular colour - an omen of the peace to come perhaps, also giving everyone the healing they must have so badly needed.
Colour has many positive uses
Businesses are accepting that their employees may work better given a certain environment and hospitals and prisons are also becoming aware of the effect that the colour around them can have on patients and prisoners respectively. Paint companies have introduced new colour cards with the therapeutic aspects of colour in mind. Cosmetic companies too have 'colour therapy' ranges included in their products. Colour has a great deal to offer us and can be found all around us in nature. The 'colour' becomes a way of life, not just a therapy.
references :
http://www.colourlovers.com
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk
Colour has been investigated and used for more than 2000 years. Throughout history, different civilizations have experimented and learned more about colour. We are still learning today about how colour affects us and its importance in our lives.
Earliest Times of ColourThe ancient Egyptians have been recorded to have been using colour for cures and ailments. They worshipped the sun, knowing that without light there can be no life. They looked at nature and copied it in many aspects of their lives. The floors of their temples were often green - as the grass which then grew alongside their river, the Nile. Blue was a very important colour to the Egyptians too; the colour of the sky. They built temples for healing and used gems (crystals) through which the sunlight shone. They would have different rooms for different colours.
There are lists on papyrus dating back to 1550 BC of colour "cures".Their deep knowledge and understanding of the healing powers of the colour rays was so nearly lost when, later on in history, the Greeks considered colour only as a science. Hippocrates, amongst others, abandoned the metaphysical side of colour, concentrating only on the scientific aspect. Fortunately, despite this, the knowledge and philosophy of colour was handed down through the ages by a few.The Chinese also apparently practiced Colour Healing. The Nei/ching, 2000 years old, records colour diagnoses.
Early Colour StudiesSome of the early studies and theories about light were done by Aristotle. He discovered that by mixing two colours, a third is produced. He did this with a yellow and blue piece of glass, which when brought together produced green. He also discovered that light travels in waves. Plato and Pythagoras also studied light.
The Middle Ages
During the Middle Ages, Paracelsus reintroduced the knowledge and philosophy of colour using the power of the colour rays for healing along with music and herbs. Unfortunately, the poor man was hounded throughout Europe and ridiculed for his work. Most of his manuscripts were burnt, but now he is thought of, by many, to be one of the greatest doctors and healers of his time. A man, it would seem, very much ahead of his time. Not only do we now use Colour Therapy once again, but, his other ideas, using herbs and music in healing, can also be seen reflected in many of the complementary therapies now quite commonplace.
Issac Newton (1642 - 1727)
Issac Newton a pioneer of colourA pioneer in the field of colour, Isaac Newton in 1672, published his first, controversial paper on colour, and forty years later, his work 'Opticks'.
Newton passed a beam of sunlight through a prism. When the light came out of the prism is was not white but was of seven different colours: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. The spreading into rays was called dispersion by Newton and he called the different coloured rays the spectrum.
He learnt that when the light rays were passed again through a prism the rays turned back into white light. If only one ray was passed through the prism it would come out the same colour as it went in. Newton concluded that white light was made up of seven different coloured rays. Modern Day Thinking
Black is not a bad colourIt is also interesting to look at the different phases in history and how those phases have been reflected in the colours generally worn at those times. During times of severity and propriety the code of dress was very much dominated by black and grey. The Victorians mainly wore black - influenced by the Queen's long period of mourning no doubt - and were, in many ways, quite austere and, it has to be said, in many ways not very colourful. The Puritans too, of course, dressed in black. This is not to say that black is a bad colour. Every colour has its positive and negative aspects. Wearing black with another colour can enhance that other colour's energy. Black can also give the space sometimes needed for reflection and inner searching. It can indicate inner strength and the possibility for change.
Before the last war it was noted that a lot of red was being worn. Red in its most positive is the colour for courage, strength and pioneering spirit, all of which were much needed by the men and women who were fighting that war. However, in the most negative aspect, it is the colour of anger, violence and brutality. As the war was coming to an end, pale blue became a popular colour - an omen of the peace to come perhaps, also giving everyone the healing they must have so badly needed.
Colour has many positive usesBusinesses are accepting that their employees may work better given a certain environment and hospitals and prisons are also becoming aware of the effect that the colour around them can have on patients and prisoners respectively. Paint companies have introduced new colour cards with the therapeutic aspects of colour in mind. Cosmetic companies too have 'colour therapy' ranges included in their products. Colour has a great deal to offer us and can be found all around us in nature. The 'colour' becomes a way of life, not just a therapy.
references :
http://www.colourlovers.com
http://www.colour-affects.co.uk
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