Colour plays a pivotal role in every facet of life. Dictating our moods, displaying one’s 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 shade black.
In the absence of colour, black takes its place. Without hue, black is the complete absorption of light, consisting of shades from lighter grey to complete black, representing opposing ideas of authority and humility, rebellion and conformity, and wealth and poverty. Black has been used since prehistoric times, found in the Lascaux Cave in France as charcoal illustrations of humans and animals. Whilst it remains mostly synonymous with mourning and death, the history of black is not so ‘black and white’.
The colour black can render words and images into a deeply spiritual act. Since the 6th century, ink and wash paintings in China were elevated to a level of serious philosophical discourse. Xie He and his ‘six principles’ of Chinese painting introduced the idea of ‘spirit resonance’, in which artists should translate their nervous energy and vitality into their work. During the Song dynasty, the genre of ink wash painting spread out to Japan, where Zen Buddhist monks introduced it in the 14th century. Through the use of black ink, these monochromatic paintings emphasised virtuoso brushwork, highlighting spiritual over direct observation. In the West, with the arrival of high quality black dyes in the 14th century, black became highly fashionable, with strict laws allowing only the nobility to wear the dye. To this day, black evokes feelings of elegance and sophistication in fashion, interiors, and furniture. Ivory black, traditionally made from the waste fragments of ivory, was a rare pigment, holding connotations of expense and luxury. Black lacquerware from China, Japan, and Korea is marvelled for its intricate decorations and flawless light-reflecting qualities, having a major influence on European furniture in the 17th century.
Black is also the colour of resistance and liberation. Artwork made from Arts Movements such as the 80s BLK Art Group exhibited boldly political works focussed on the concerns of the black community and racial prejudice in Britain. The word ‘black’ did not hold negative connotations, instead with the stylised abbreviation ‘blk’, the group raised the profile of the black British identity and the cultural pride of embracing the word that was once seen as an insult.
In the 21st century, a new type of black was invented, one that holds all the connotations of pure wonder. Vantablack is considered the darkest pigment ever created. Composed of carbon nanotubes, it absorbs 99.965% of visible light and seemingly produces a void space. Its unique properties have challenged previous notions of colour perception and the boundaries of art, design, and the colour black.
In the Western tradition, black is the colour of death. The classical labelling of black as bad and white as good came from the Middle Ages, where Benedictine monks wore black robes as a sign of humility and penitence. The black monks as they were called, were challenged by Cistercian monks, who wore white. The conflict revolved around the polarity of black and white. Black, according to the Cistercians, was evil, and white symbolised purity and innocence. The Latin word for black ‘ater’ was associated with cruelty and evil and is the Latinate stem for words atrocious and atrocity in the English language. It is no surprise then that in the Middle Ages, the devil was often painted black. Yet, even before the polarising views of the Middle Ages, black was still considered the colour of death. To ancient Greeks, black was the colour of the underworld.
In multiple cultures across the world, black is the colour of mourning. From Europe to Asia and the Americas, black is worn to express grief. The two oldest colours found in Chinese funerary contexts are black and red. Derived from lacquer, objects made from this material were displayed in the two colours as an early dyadic understanding of the universe. The pairing also held cosmological, mystical, and magical significance, relating to the earliest concept of duality. Night/day, dark/light. Black represents water, winter, and north in the Chinese five elements. Similarly, in Mesoamerican cultures, black was associated with north and the Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, the god of darkness and fate. The colour black was therefore synonymous with both divinity and death.
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 shade black, 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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