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 start with red.
Anger, beauty, vigour, victory, luxury, luck, danger, wealth, and eroticism. For centuries, red has served as a visual storyteller. It also embodies many ‘firsts’. Not only is it the first colour to appear in the rainbow, but red is also one of the most naturally occurring hues, and quite possibly the first colour to be used as a paint. It is also the first colour humans perceive after black and white, the first colour babies see, and the first colour that returns from temporary colour blindness. As the archetypal colour with such a long and dominating history, red’s symbology is complex and vast.
The face exposes emotion in the colour red. Oxygenated blood rushes to the skin’s surface in moments of rage, embarrassment, or lust. It is the visual language of human emotion, making it one of the most familiar human hues. Passion, love, anger, sex. Blood is red, and therefore red symbolises aggression. Fire is red, and so red symbolises violence and destruction. But fire and blood are also emblematic of life as much as they are of death. In art and design, red symbolises this contradiction, both of life and death and all the emotion that comes in between.
In Christian iconography, red has played an important role as an emotive symbol of the blood of Christ. In the art of the Renaissance, the Madonna and Child cloaked in red serves to remind the viewer of Christ’s eventual sacrifice as well as Madonna’s royal status. In the worship garments of religious leaders such as Cardinals, red continues to create an emotive visible symbol of religious authority and sacred commitment. Red was later adopted by socialist political groups in reference to the same metaphor of sacrifice. In doing so, red continues to arouse an emotional response from its audience and instil a message of faith in a cause. “The people’s flag is deepest red,/ It shrouded oft our martyred dead” – The Red Flag by Jim Connell.
Red is also the colour of love. Blushed cheeks make known feelings of love or lust without a single word. The most recognisable universal symbol of love is the red heart. While the heart shape had appeared in the Indus Valley civilisation and the ancient Greek colony of Cyrene, it wasn’t until the 13th century that red hearts came to symbolise love. Another shade of red that symbolic of love is pink. It is shade associated with vivacity and beauty, but is also heavily tied to femininity, sexuality, and true love, with the implications of women being the centre of these qualities. On Valentine’s Day, red and pink are the chosen colours used to express love for one another. Roses are red, and the blood rushing through our hearts is red. In Ancient Rome strawberries were considered the symbol of Venus for their sweet taste and exterior seeds were a sign of fertility. In Chinese and Indian weddings, red is the most important colour. Chinese brides may choose to wear a red dress called a qipao with a red silk veil called a honggaitou.
However, red is also the colour of anger. Its boldness links red to the extreme emotions of rage and aggression. While a red flush could express lust, it could also express anger and hot-headedness. Many artists have utilised red’s expressive fiery energy to convey intense human emotion, such as Edvard Munch and Caravaggio. Famously, bulls charge when they see red. The Muleta, the red cloth and stick, is held by the matador to attract and enrage the bull. Even though bulls are colour-blind and cannot see red, the metaphor sticks.
The paradox of red continues in its other symbolic meanings. It is a colour that entails energy, but also of “stop”, a warning. This is because red stands out. As a primary colour, it is essential to the creation of other colours, but also in the enhancement of precious colours such as gold. It is an impossible colour to ignore. Red ochre, an iron oxide mixed with other minerals was quite possibly the first colour to be used as a paint. It has been found globally from prehistoric cave paintings to palaeolithic burial grounds and is believed to have protective powers in the afterlife. Red was used in burial rituals to ward off evil spirits, however, the colour red was also a warning in itself. The bright frescos excavated from Pompeiian ruins are as beautiful as they are deadly. The pigment used, vermillion, derives from the mineral cinnabar. With a powerful red hue, good covering and combability with fresco and tempera, vermillion was considered a sacred hue and the most expensive pigment used by the Romans. It was also highly toxic. Even down to its chemical structure, the colour red acts as a bold and vibrant statement of warning.
The application of red’s boldness is not, however, always used to deter its audience. From functionalism to the De Stijl and Modernist art movements, simplicity, reduction, and an emphasis on pure function were at the forefront of 20thcentury design. This was manifested and visualised in clean lines, bold block colour and a return to the essential properties of colour. This meant a vibrant and strong red was back and heavily employed. This time, red’s boldness was utilised to attract, not to deter.
The colour red has come to symbolise a universal understanding of power. From royal clothing to political propaganda, red sends the unequivocal message of strength. In the 20th century, the Soviet Union employed the colour red in their propaganda posters to represent the worker’s blood and their sacrifice in the struggle against capitalism. Before this, red was adopted during the French Revolution, and in portraits of Princess Elizabeth I before her accession as Queen. Red has had a long history in association with revolution, rebellion, and new liberties, but also politically with communism and socialism. Today, the colour red in the Pan-African flag represents the struggle that Africans face against oppression, the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry. On the other hand, shades of red in 17th and 18th century English fashion were symbolic of pomp and power, with British nobility adorning scarlet gowns and uniforms.
Our long relationship with the colour red means it is often thought of as symbolic of life itself. For the Indigenous Australians, red ochre symbolised a sacred connection to the land and nature and in Ancient Egypt, red was celebrated as a symbol of life and victory. With such an extensive history, red has developed to be a colour ubiquitous with cultures all across the world, as well as the artist’s palette.
In Chinese philosophy, red is used in association with fortune. The five elements of the world are distinguished by colour; yellow for earth, white for metal, black for water, green for wood, and red for fire. Positive attributes are associated with fire and red such as dynamism, leadership and vitality making it the colour chosen by Chinese emperors to bring good fortune for their reign. This was manifested in the red robes worn by almost all Emperors from the Han to Sui dynasty. The angpao (hongbao in Mandarin) is a paper envelope used for small gifts and given on dates of celebration. It is also always coloured red.
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 red, 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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