Art Blog #46
- Paul Connor
- May 1
- 2 min read
The colour Red in art and what it symbolises......
Red is the first color that humans mastered, fabricated, reproduced, and broke down into different shades. It is also one of the earliest colors used by artists during the prehistoric period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, red had a religious significance. It was the color of the blood of Christ and the fires of hell. In the Renaissance period, red colors were supposed to draw the viewer’s attention to the most influential figures in a painting.
- Grabs attention and evokes strong emotions such as passion, energy, power, love, and anger.
- Represents intensity, dynamism, and urgency.
- Symbolizes strength and vitality.
- Has been used historically to show wealth and status.
- Represents love, danger, and power in contemporary art.
Red like blood, fire, passion, war, and revolt. Red is a color that never leaves anyone indifferent. It is one of the first hues used by prehistoric humans in cave paintings, and likely one of the most symbolically charged colors in cultures around the world. Intense, warm, and vibrant, it embodies life force as much as danger, love as much as hatred.
In colour psychology, red is stimulating. It increases heart rate, draws attention, and signals urgency. It is the color of romantic passion, physical desire, and emotional intensity. It activates the brain, awakens instinct, and can provoke immediate emotional or physical response.
But this intensity can also be threatening: red is associated with anger, aggression, and spilled blood.
Ochre Red and it's Origins:
A naturally occurring clay pigment, red ochre takes its reddish color from the mineral hematite. The Neanderthals began using the color as far back as 250,000 years ago to decorate their bodies. In the Neolithic era, the pigment was used symbolically in ritual burial contexts, representing a return to earth or possibly rebirth. In art, the earliest uses of red ochre pigment can be traced back to the Upper Palaeolithic Period, as seen in the red bison cave paintings of Altamira, Spain, dated between 16,500 and 15,000 BCE.
Various Sources
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