History of Color Colors are often symbolic. Let’s talk about what role color has played in different times in history.

In China… Yellow has religious significance and is still the Imperial color today! The legendary first emperor of China was known as the Yellow Emperor or Huang Di 黃帝. Members of the imperial family of China at that time were the only ones allowed to display the color yellow in buildings and garments.

In Greece and Rome… Red was believed to have protective powers. In Greece, Easter eggs are dyed red and the Greek expression "piase kokkino" ("touch red") is said when two people say the same thing at the same time. It is believed that such an occurrence is an omen that the two will have an argument in the future, which can only be broken when the two touch the closest thing that is red.

Rome, Egypt, and Persia all used purple as the imperial standard. Purple dyes were rare and expensive; only the rich had access to them. The purple colorants used came from different sources, most from the dye extraction from fish or insects. Purple was restricted to use by nobility. Byzantine Emperor Justinian I clad in Tyrian purple, 6th-century mosaic at Basilica of San Vitale

The Egyptians Adorned walls of tombs and temples with brilliant colors of blue, tangerine, and green.

In the Italian Renaissance… Colors were vibrant reds, greens, golds and blues. ( ) Renaissance art was born out of a new, rapidly evolving civilization. It marked the point of departure from the medieval to the modern world and, as such, laid the foundations for modern Western values and society.

In the Rococo period… Tastes became very feminine, colors became less vibrant. Europe, 1715 to 1774 It was most popular in France, and is generally associated with the reign of King Louis XV ( ). It is a light, elaborate and decorative style of art.

In 18 th Century England… There was great elegance. Colors were rich, showing a strong Chinese influence in the use of red and gold. The Triumph of The Free Market and Wage Economy

During the Victorian era… There was great Eclecticism known for it’s abundance of “things”. Colors were mostly dull reds, greens, browns, and mauves.

In the Early 20 th Century… Colors were Monochromatic. There were sleek surfaces and strong contrasts with black, gray, silver, brown, beige and white.

In the 1920’s… All-white interiors became popular which gave way to delicate pastels with bright accents. Clean slate after WWI and the Spanish Flu Roaring Twenties or the Jazz Age

In the 1950’s.. Light colors were preferred. However, American interest turned to Mexico and a shift to bright colors with bright contrasts.

And in the 1990’s… Regal gold, blue, and red were used. Southwestern remained popular and Victorian was being revived. Ivy league also becomes popular with forest greens and cranberry reds.

Where does color come from? A ray of light is the source of all color. Without light, color does not exist. Light is broken down into colors of the spectrum. You can often see a variety of colors in a bright beam when you look at something like a rainbow.

Color Color can alter the appearance of form and space. Color can affect our performance abilities and change our moods.

Pigments Pigments are substances that can be ground into fine powder and used for adding color to dyes and paints. Pigments were originally derives from animal, mineral, and vegetable sources. Examples: –Purple from shellfish –Red dye from the dried bodies of scale insects To create our own color wheel, we will be mixing different pigments together to create all the colors in the color wheel.

The Color Wheel The color wheel is a basic tool we use when working with colors. It is based on the standard color theory known as Brewster/Prang. In addition to the traditional color wheel, there are two color systems that are useful when more detailed colors are required. –The Munsell system: Has 5 principles hues and 5 intermediate hues. A numbering system helps designers identify the exact hue they need. –The Ostwald system: Made from pairs of complementary colors. The color circle has twenty- four hues.

The Color Wheel There are 12 hues in the spectrum of color. They are divided into three categories…

The Primary Colors Red, Yellow, and Blue These colors cannot be combined from mixing any colors together.

The Secondary Colors Green, violet, and orange Made by combining the Primary colors together.

The Tertiary Colors Yellow-green, blue-green, blue- violet, red-violet, red-orange, yellow-orange. Made by combining a primary and a secondary hue. Named by the Primary color first.

Color Wheel Assignment Now it’s your turn to create your own color wheel! You decide whether you want to earn full credit by completing the assignment as shown here… Or you can earn extra credit, by creating another picture with your color wheel… –A rainbow, a tire, a flower, etc. Make sure to label all twelve colors correctly, and label your assignment in architectural writing with your name, assignment name and period.