Art Blog #47

Paul Connor
May 12
2 min read

Updated: Jun 2

The colour Blue in art and what it symbolises.....

Historically, the colour blue has had a wealth of connotations. Once believed to have mystical powers in the ancient world, centuries later the colour was associated with royalty, before blue dye was used for uniforms in the navy, hospitals and industrial factories.

Today, psychologists claim that blue is hardwired into the human psyche and contributed to our evolutionary development as hunter-gatherers, who once learnt to survive in the wild among the blue skies and waters. The power of blue is so accepted that designers often choose the colour to decorate offices, believing research that it boosts productivity and feelings of calm.

Lapis lazuli

The earliest forms of blue pigment were extracted from the semi-precious limestone rock mixture 'lapis lazuli'. Originating from the Middle East, in particular, Afghanistan, the word's etymology comes from the Latin 'lapis', which translates into 'stone', and 'lazuli' meaning 'blue'.

This pigment was regularly imported from Asia, across the Silk Road, dating back 6,000 years up until the eighteenth century. Extracted from the remote Sar-e-Sang valley in the Badakhshan mountains in Afghanistan, it would eventually make its way to the bustling cosmopolitan towns of western Europe.

Courtesy of https://artuk.org/

Egyptian blue

Unlike lapis lazuli, Egyptian blue is a synthetic pigment that was developed approximately 4,500 years ago. A bright crystalline substance, it is a lighter shade than lapis lazuli.

This synthetic shade was created to meet the expensive demands for lapis lazuli and blue in ancient Egypt, as they believed the colour was associated with the heavens, fertility and the power of creation.

The pigment spread throughout Egypt, Greece and eventually into the Roman Empire. When the Roman Empire declined, the colour temporarily vanished from cultural use.

Courtesy of https://artuk.org/

In art, blue can be used to represent different meanings:

Lighter shades of blue are often used to represent the sky or the ocean, so it is often associated with cleanliness, freshness and freedom.

Darker, more saturated shades are used to represent authority, stability, power and wisdom.

Blue is often used by artists to suggest trust, honesty and tranquillity.

Dark blue suggests authority, tradition and seriousness.

Blue is a color that’s often associated with depression or coldness. If the focal point of a painting is blue, it might hint that there’s a sad story behind it.

Picasso’s Blue Period is a good example of using blue to convey misery and mourning.