The Symbolism of Blue: Spirituality, Psychology & Cultural Meanings Through History
Colour plays a pivotal role in every facet of life. Dictating our moods, displaying ones status, erudition, religion, reverence for the past and the future. Yet, the evolution of colour has been approached on a strictly intuitive level. Although taste, symbolic resonance and rarity play a large role in the popularity of a colour, there is an undeniable factor that is crucial to any understanding of colour. Science.
Our human ability to perceive colour was adapted as an aid to navigate our natural environment, which is arguably why colours found in the natural world have always been a source of satisfaction. From children to adults, everyone finds pleasure in looking and working with colour. There is, however, a difference with the application of colours on a canvas in the West, to ceramics of the East. Countries and cultures inherent different symbolisms and associations with colour. For the artist, they must ask what is colour for? For the designer, they ask what can colour do?
Throughout history, colour has been used in various ways and in different spaces, mediums, and styles, so much so that it would be impossible to suggest any single colour as characteristic to one symbolic meaning. A single colour may have multiple meanings attached, from various parts of the world and various parts of history. This connection between chemistry, symbolism, nature, and history form the important constituting parts of what makes up colour and why it is so important to us.
In this series on the symbolism of colour, we continue with the colour blue.
The Colour Blue
Our planet is encased in the colour blue. From the oceans, lakes, and rivers that cover most of the world, to the blue sky, and beyond into a deep dark universe of unknowns. It is no wonder blue symbolises the ethereal, divine, and spiritual. The vastness of blue above our heads incites feelings of awe, its beauty mystifying generations. Despite its occupation of the seas and sky, blue is rarely found in the natural world, making it one of the most valuable colours for its scarcity of supply. Blue also had a calming effect and is often described as peaceful and tranquil. As opposed to the energising red, blue is a non-aggressive colour, slowing your heart rate and lowering your blood pressure. Blue can, however, denote a feeling of melancholy. Its cool undertone doesn't incite feelings of warmth or comfort, but instead of sadness and isolation.
Blue symbolises calm
Blue is the colour of the abyss, immeasurably deep but also introspective. Blues soulfulness encourages a meditative attitude, it relaxes the eyes and mind, transcending cultural boundaries in its ability to soothe. While darker blues conjure feelings of melancholy, lighter blues symbolise peace, wisdom, and hope. Blue is often employed in interior spaces to induce a sense of relaxation, and importantly stability. Organisations, such as the British police, and political parties such as the Conservatives, use blue as identifying uniform in an attempt to convey the illusion of stability and dependability.
Blue symbolises the ethereal
Despite blue being a primary colour, it has not existed in art and design for that long. There was no blue in cave paintings, nor was it mentioned in texts of classical antiquity. This is because our perception of blue is relatively modern. Several cultures in the world do not have a word for the colour blue. The Himba tribe in Namibia describes blue as a variant of green, and in ancient Greece, blue would have been more accurately related to a species of black and darkness. Blue wouldn't however, remain in the darkness for much longer. In the late Middle Ages, ultramarine was venerated, rivalling the prices of gold. Derived from the lapis lazuli stone found in northern Afghanistan, its sacristy and expense in itself led to blues ethereal symbolism.
In a Christian context, blue was strictly reserved for depictions of the Madonna and Christ. The Virgins ubiquitous blue robe emphasised her piety, but also the piety of the artworks patron, and their wealth. Outside of Medieval Europe, blue was still revered for its otherworldly symbolic power. In Mediterranean cultures, the colour blue is thought to protect against the evil eye. Blues protective power extends into Judaism, as it is described in Hebrew as tekhelet or blue cloth. Mentioned 49 times in the Tanakh, blue was used in the clothing of the High Priest, tapestries in the Tabernacle, and tassels of prayer shawls worn during prayer. The colours strong presence in the Jewish tradition symbolises the divine presence and their protection.
In East Asian countries, blue is associated with the sky and water, a fundamental part of life in Chinese tradition that makes up one of the five elements of the universe. In India, blue is considered a sacred colour due to its association with Hindu deities. Lord Krishna, a revered god in Hinduism is depicted with blue skin to convey his divine nature and transcendental form. Blue's symbol as the sea and sky is also seen in ancient Assyria. Egyptian blue pigment was used in architectural designs as both a sign of prestige, due to the rarity of the colour, and as a symbol of the celestial realm and the divine. Into the 1960s, Yves Kleins trademarked Klein blue represented, to him, a portrayal of the infinite and immaterial. The colour blue once again conveyed a deeper meaning, symbolic of an immeasurable existence of colour and the vast expanse of the universe. Blue had come to be realised as a window to the boundless space, of freedom, and of the ethereal.
Blue symbolises melancholy
Blues emotional polarity makes it an interesting colour. While it holds common associations with other-worldliness, it is also very grounded in human emotion. Famously, Pablo Picassos blue period paintings correspond to a more sombre period of his life, full of economic uncertainty and little recognition. Through blue, Picasso was able to capture to isolation and the quiet desperation of his subjects and himself. A similar emotional effect is created in the work of Vincent van Gogh, whose famous blue swirling sky in 'Starry Night' creates a disorientating, emotional intensity, that is at once beautiful as it is unnerving. In the English language, we use blue to describe a feeling of sadness, 'feeling blue' and 'having the blues'. The music genre Blues of the African-American Deep South describes a sombre, slow musical form, often relating to racial discrimination and the sadness associated with lived experiences.
Understanding the symbolism behind colours in art and design can create a more effective and meaningful connection between you and your desired antiques. Across time and culture, colour has created visually compelling experiences, evoking emotional responses and conveying subliminal messages. With your now extensive knowledge of the colour blue, explore the Nicholas Wells website to find your perfect touch of colour, or read more on our other deep dives in colour symbolism.
All images show pieces available on the Nicholas Wells website.
Written by Daisy Watson
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