Pure Photography: The Black and White of a Fleeting Artistic Movement

Established in 1932, the Pure Photography movement boasted a palette with a maximum of two colors. Pure photography was defined as being completely free of any other artistic movement. That meant it had to be free of qualities of technique, composition, and objective. Due to its strict requirements, the possible body of work was severely limited. That's why the visual poet Geof Huth calls Pure Photography "one of the shortest artistic movements of all time." As it is such a narrow school of art, Huth was able to complete all the possible works of the genre in a single day. He explains: "A black & white photograph might look like it is made out of grays, but it is made out of bits of black organized on the surface of a white sheet, so in its purest form it is either all black or all white."

by DitB

Huth's technique was simple: "The black photograph must be exposed to uncontrolled light, so I turned on the lights in the darkroom, exposed the paper & then developed the photograph. The white photograph must never be exposed to light; it is fixed so that it never changes from its white beginnings. I framed one of these photographs in a bright metal frame, but I don't know where it is anymore."

[Read the entire article in my guest blog at ColourLovers.com.]

Jeff writes:

Ancient Colors

The roots of color technology trace back to Ancient Egypt, where visionary chemists concocted recipes for synthetic pigments. Color (Ancient Egyptian name 'iwen') was an essential part of life in ancient Egypt, adding deeper meaning to everything the people created. Paintings, clothing, books, jewelry, and architecture were all imbued with colorful symbolism. African historian Alistair Boddy-Evans explains that color "was considered an integral part of an item's or person's nature in Ancient Egypt, and the term could interchangeably mean color, appearance, character, being, or nature. Items with similar color were believed to have similar properties."

Egyptologist Anita Stratos informs us that the Egyptian palette had six colors:

by Cesras

• red (desher)
• green (wadj)
• blue (khesbedj and irtiu)
• yellow (kenit and khenet)
• black (khem or kem)
• white (shesep and hedj)

Boddy-Evans notes that organic sources yielded two basic colors: crushed bones and ivory provided white pigment, and soot provided black. Red dye was produced from the dried bodies of female scale insects (family Coccidae, genus Kermes). Indigo and crimson pigments came from plants. Most other colors were made from mineral compounds, Stratos notes, "which is why they retained their vibrant colors throughout thousands of years."

Ancient Egyptians considered green to be a positive and powerful color, Egyptologist Geraldine Pinch notes (Magic in Ancient Egypt, 1995). It was associated with fertility, growth and regeneration. "A person was said to be doing 'green things' if his behavior was beneficial or life producing," Stratos says. "Wadj, the word for green, which also meant to flourish or be healthy, was used for the papyrus plant as well as for the green stone malachite. Green malachite was a symbol of joy. In a larger reference, the phrase 'field of malachite' was used when speaking of the land of the blessed dead."

Blue and turquoise were considered divine colors and appropriate for sacred places. Stratos explains that "Dark blue, also called 'Egyptian' blue, was the color of the heavens, water, and the primeval flood, and it represented creation or rebirth. The favorite blue stone was lapis lazuli, or khesbed, which also meant joy or delight. . . . There is also a theory that blue may have been symbolic of the Nile and represented fertility, because of the fertile soils along the Nile that produced crops. Because the god Amen (also spelled Amon or Amun) played a part in the creation of the world, he was sometimes depicted with a blue face; therefore, pharaohs associated with Amen were shown with blue faces also. In general, it was said that the gods had hair made of lapis lazuli."

Stratos explains that red was considered a very powerful color, "symbolizing two extremes: Life and victory as well as anger and fire. Red also represented blood. . . . In its negative context of anger and fire, red was the color of the god Set, who was the personification of evil and the powers of darkness, as well as the god who caused storms. Some images of Set are colored with red skin. In addition, red-haired men as well as animals with reddish hair or skins were thought to be under the influence of Set. A person filled with rage was said to have a red heart."

"In the Graeco-Egyptian papyri, a special kind of red ink, which included ochre and the juice of flaming red poppies, was used," Pinch says.

The color yellow "designated the eternal and the indestructible, also considered to be qualities of the sun and of gold," says Stratos. "Many statues of the gods were either made of gold or were gold-plated; in fact, Egyptians believed the gods' skin and bones were made from gold. Tomb paintings showed gods with golden skin, and pharaohs' sarcophagi were made from gold, since the belief was that a deceased pharaoh became a god." Incidentally, the color orange would have been classified as yellow in Ancient Egyptian times.

Sometimes, Stratos notes, yellow was used interchangeably with white. "White denoted purity and omnipotence, and because it had no real color, it represented things sacred and simple. White was especially symbolic in the religious objects and ritual tools used by priests. Many of these were made of white alabaster, including the Apis Bulls' embalming table. 'Memphis,' a holy city, meant 'White Walls,' and white sandals were worn to holy ceremonies. White was also the color used to portray most Egyptian clothing."

Black was a symbol of night, death, and the underworld. Stratos explains: "We see this reflected in Osiris, who was referred to as 'the black one' because he was king of the afterlife, and also with reference to the god of embalming, Anubis, who was portrayed as a black jackal or dog. Because Queen Ahmose-Nefertari was the patroness of the necropolis, she was often shown with black skin." Black also symbolized resurrection, an idea likely related to "the dark silt left behind by the annual Nile flood. From the most ancient Egyptian times, Egypt was known as Kemet, or 'the black land,' because of the dark soil of the Nile Valley; therefore, the color black symbolized Egypt itself. When used to represent resurrection, black and green were interchangeable."

[Read the entire article in my guest blog at ColourLovers.com.]

Colors to Seek Out and Avoid During Exams

Can particular colors affect a student's performance on exams? Color expert Mark D. Fairchild says yes. He cites recent research establishing an "aversion" response to the color red. "If people are exposed to red just before taking an exam they perform slightly less well than if they were exposed to a different color. The cause of this aversion response is not yet known; it could be learned or it could be something intrinsic that causes us to 'fear' red (just a little). This has also been found in sporting events where athletes dressed in red tended to be more successful . . . perhaps because their opponents were viewing it and having an aversion response (rather than the red having an effect on the athlete wearing it)."

Colin Wilson, an investigator of mysteries, offers a reasonable explanation for the red-aversion phenomenon. "Psychological tests have shows that when subjects are exposed to bright red, blood pressure increases and the heartbeat speeds up. (Exposure to green causes a drop in blood pressure; the same is true of dark blue.) . . . This is largely explainable in perfectly ordinary terms. Green soothes us because it is the color of nature. . . . Red excites because it is the color of blood and therefore of violence. Blue has a subduing effect because it is the color of nightfall. This has always been so, since animals first developed color vision" (Mysteries, 2006).

Prof. Fairchild concurs that color most certainly plays a large role in one's emotional life, though the effects are inconsistent. "The effects (both the type and strength) are very individual. A color that makes me feel happy or energized might make you feel sad or tired. There are various reasons for these responses, but essentially they are learned from either cultural practices or significant individual events. There is a lot of misinformation on this topic. A good book for more information is Faber Birren's Color and Human Response."

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Here are some blues and greens students might consider seeking out at test time:

Here are some reds that students might consider avoiding at test time:

[Read the entire article in my guest blog at ColourLovers.com.]

Literary rapscallion Jonathan Caws-Elwitt wonders whether one can "like it and lump it":

Humorist Jonathan Caws-Elwitt's plays, stories, essays, letters, parodies, wordplay, witticisms and miscellaneous tomfoolery can be found at Monkeys 1, Typewriters 0. Here you'll encounter frivolous, urbane writings about symbolic yams, pigs in bikinis, donut costumes, vacationing pikas, nonexistent movies, cross-continental peppermills, and other compelling subjects.

Octarine: The Imaginary Color of Magic

"Octarine" is a color name coined by Terry Pratchett in his Discworld novels. Octarine is said to be the color of magic, as it is apparent in the crackling and shimmering of light. The word refers to the "eighth color," in a spectrum of black, blue, green, yellow, purple, orange, and red. Octarine has been likened to a fluorescent greenish-yellow purple, a combination impossible to perceive with normal human eyes. Imagine, if you can, the marriage of these two swatches:

Scholar of magic Pete Carroll says he imagines Octarine to be "a particular shade of electric pinkish-purple," a common color in optical illusions. Who can see octarine with the naked eye? Legend has it that only wizards and felines can. That's because an ordinary eye, equipped with rods and cones, would see greenish-yellow purple as gray, black, or nothing at all, while a wizard's eye is said to be equipped with octagons. Some people claim to catch glimpses of octarine in peacock feathers, lightning bolts, rainbows, lens flares, soap bubbles, bonfires, and gemstones.

There can be no doubt that octarine is an imaginary color. But is it preposterous to think that normal human eyes might one day be able to perceive a fluorescent greenish-yellow purple? The folks at the Conscious Entities blog posed that very question: "There has to be an octarine, doesn't there? The mere conceivability of another color shows that the spectrum is not an absolute reality. It seems to me that, just as we can always encounter a completely new smell, there would always be scope for a new color, if our eyes were able to develop new responses the way our nose presumably can. But I don't even need to rely on conceivability. Some insects can see ultraviolet light, for example, and some snakes can see infrared. They must assign to those wavelengths colors which we can't see, mustn't they?"

Their conclusion, however, is negatory: "Look at the way the spectrum forms a closed circle. If we extended it downwards below red, we should simply get another, lower, violet. Now I grant you that the 'lowerness' would have to expressed in some way - possibly as 'warmth.' The colors of the visible spectrum are differentiated in terms of warmth, so perhaps the lower violet would appear distinctly warmer than the one we're used to (great scope for interior decorators...). I repeat, the spectrum is a reality. You can call it a mathematical reality if that helps, but it's real. If we saw color the way we hear pitch, all this would be obvious. But the fact that we can't see color harmonies or more than a single octave of colors means there's never been any scope for a genius to come along and produce a regularised interpretation of the spectrum, the way J.S.Bach did for the musical scale."

[Read the entire article in my guest blog at ColourLovers.com.]

The Most Forbidden Color

The fiery color red has long been controversial — so controversial, in fact, that it is commonly banned outright lest it inflame strong emotions, spark revolution, kindle anger, inspire boldness, instigate bloodshed, arouse lust, or provoke pain. Is it preposterous to think that a single color can be dangerous to society? Consider the following examples of forbidden reds from modern to ancient times. Then ask yourself: do you dare to use or wear the color red today? Is red worth the risk of arrest, imprisonment, or even a death sentence? Ultimately, is red (or any color) worth championing?

Director Michael Mann banned the color red from appearing in his film Miami Vice, as he has a personal dislike for red and other earth tones. (Source: New York Times.)

The American Civil Liberties Union reported the first known instance of an educational institution reacting to gang fears by banning a primary color. In reaction to school vandalism and the threat of violence, "officials at Round Rock High School in Texas banned the color red. ... Apparently the gang responsible for these incidents wore red—about forty students wearing red items were sequestered in the library, and the parents were called." (Source: Leland Gregory, Hey, Idiot!: Chronicles of Human Stupidity.)

In 1887, Chicago police banned the color red from labor union advertisements of the Knights of Labor. This was a colorful example of the anti-Communist "red scare." (Source: Economic History Encyclopedia.)

Daniels Farm Elementary School in Trumbull, Connecticut banned its teachers from using red ink to grade student homework. Apparently, parents objected to red as being "too stressful" and symbolic of negativity. "The disillusionment with red is part of a major shift in grading, and three top pen manufacturers have heard the complaints. As a result, Bic, Pilot Pen, and Sanford (the manufacturer of Papermate and Sharpie) are producing more purple pens in response to rising sales. According to Pilot Pen’s vice president of marketing, school leaders are 'trying to be positive and reinforcing rather than being harsh. Teachers are taking that to heart.'" (Source: Lisa Orlando, "The Ink That Teachers Use To Grade Papers Has Parents Seeing Red.")

The government of Saudi Arabia banned the color red around Valentine's Day, in a move to discourage Muslims from observing the Western holiday. Red flowers, plush hearts, wrapping paper, and other red items were illegal to sell. As a result of the ban on red roses, a black market has flowered. (Source: Saudi Gazette.)

In Israel, the color red was banned from kosher clothing stores. (Source: Sensationalcolor.com.)

Warren S. Jeffs, "the man revered as the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," banned the color red from clothing when he took power in 2002. (Source: Newsweek.)

The government of Zimbabwe denied banning the color red from television, though AIDS activists reported being told to remove their red ribbons before filming. (Source: BBC News.)

In traditional funerals in Japan, red was forbidden because it is "a celebratory color." (Source: Pikatto.) Similarly, in China red was forbidden during periods of mourning. (Source: Beverley Jackson, Splendid Slippers.) And in Estonia, the color red is traditionally forbidden from funerals and other important rites of passage. (Source: Science Direct.)

Medieval Spain banned the color red from garments due to its association with blood, the devil, and witchery. Spaniards reportedly began wearing red under their clothes, giving rise to the popularity of red underwear. (Source: Why Fashion?)

On the Cook Island of Mangaia, "anything red was forbidden ... as being offensive to the gods." (Source: James Frazer, Belief in Immortality and the Worship of the Dead, Vol. 2.)

At the New Jersey College for Women in the 1920s, the red clothing was forbidden to freshmen. "Only sophomores and up could wear red." (Source: Rutgers.)

In 1990, the United States Food and Drug Administration banned carcinogenic Red Dye No. 3 in cosmetics and topical drugs. (Source: BNET.)

Though red is hard to beat in terms of controversy, other colors have found themselves on the chopping block. Following are a few brief examples.

Forbidden Yellow:

President William McKinley's wife banned the color yellow from the White House. (Source: Jane O'Connor, If the Walls Could Talk: Family Life at the White House.)

Forbidden Orange:

The Dutch Patriot Movement of the 1780s banned the color orange. (Source: Peter Boticelli.)

Forbidden Green:

Voyage, a New York City Caribbean bistro, banned the color green from its decor. (Source: The Village Voice.)

Early Christians banned the color green due to its pagan connotations. (Source: Rolling Rainbow: Color Matters.)

Forbidden Purple:

The founder of the Woman Suffrage Party, Carrie Chapman Catt, banned the color purple from parades to dissociate her movement from the militant National Woman's Party. (Source: Heritage.)

Forbidden Brown:

Students at Molloy Alternative High School in Lowell, Massachusetts were forbidden from wearing the color brown, due to the emergence of the "Brown Mafia," a teenage gang. (Source: WHDH.)

[Read the entire article in my guest blog at ColourLovers.com.]

Shades of the Unexpected

What makes a color "unexpected" is a difference from the norm or a breaking of the rules. Consider, for example, a fiery red nimbus cloud amongst common white ones, an impatient yellow blossom amongst green buds, or an anomalous brown nut amongst its candy-covered companions. A mismatched color can jolt the viewer into a new way of looking. It can offer:

a rhythm to the palette a lively surprise a sense of depth or substance a punchy contrast a delightful idiosyncrasy an inspirational boost a festive mood unexpected warmth a "not too serious" tone a fun nuance a reason to smile

by jpmatth

An anomalous pile of blue sticks next to an orange-leafed tree in an autumnal glade served as the inspiration for the "Stick Figures" palette.

by ISphoto

A green and red cactus in a Kingman, Arizona parking lot served as the inspiration for the "Cactus Erroneous" palette.

by cobalt123

[Read the entire article in my guest blog at ColourLovers.com.]