Introduction to Colors

By Daniel W. Weidner Ed.D.D.ll

This work is to be considered as merely an introduction into the realm of colors. The voluminous content of this subject is too vast, whereby the inclusion would preclude this as a cursory view of this subject. Herein included are partial listings of various categories. Indeed, the voluminous content available is far in excess to be addressed. It is the belief of the author not to make this a scholarly project so vast that it would detract from its being a basic introduction for amusement.

Cultures have their own interpretation of the colors that are most prominent in their belief systems, and some common beliefs have over centuries become part of other cultures.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: May 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887930466

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Introduction to Colors

Daniel W. Weidner Ed.D.,D.ll

Copyright © 2023 Daniel W. Weidner Ed.D.,D.ll

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-88793-041-1 (pbk)

ISBN 979-8-88793-046-6 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

This work is dedicated to my son Christopher for his love and expertise in helping with this work.

Preface

The Age of Chivalry

What Is Color?

Standardization of Colors

Color Theory

Color and Human Aspects

Eye Color

Color and Dreams

Color Meanings

Meaning of Seasonal Colors

Impressions, Expressions, and Emotions

Color and Psychology

The Color Code by Hartman, Taylor PhD

Color-Coded Motives

The White and Yellow Connections (pages 227 to 230)

The Red Connections

Color and Feelings

Colors Related to Emotions

Education

Introduction

Flags of the World

Major Colors Used

Flags through the Ages

Astronomy (Partial List)

Floral (Partial List)

Foods (Partial List)

Alcoholic Drinks, Liquors, Wines (Partial List)

Non-Alcoholic Drinks (Partial List)

Personnel Colors

The Language of Flowers

Roses

Geographic (Physical, Partial List)

Medical (Partial List)

Blue, Green, Yellow

Religion: Christianity

Coptic Christians

State Colors of the States of the United States

Traditional Colors of the Seasons (From World Book Encyclopedia)

Holidays (Partial List)

Roses of Valentine's Day

Mardi Gras

Colored Vestments

Saint Patrick's Day

Easter

Christian Altar Colors

Halloween

Thanksgiving

Christmas

International Airline Colors

NBA Team Colors

Professional Sports Teams' Colors

Colors in Sports, Introduction

School Football Color Groups

Dominant Color Groups of University Football Schools

Special Colors of Football Universities

College Football Colors

College Football Colors and Occurrence (Thirty)

Schools Known by One Color

Schools with Black Combination

Schools with Brown Combination

College Colors of Universities

The Olympics

Aura

Magenta

Yellow

Resources

About the Author

This work is dedicated to my son Christopher for his love and expertise in helping with this work.

Preface

Primitive man must surely have been awestruck by sunsets.

And far beyond comprehending their origin and amazed that they appeared each evening. From his mind must have come the belief that there was some entity that performed the miracle. But color did come upon the scene when he mixed earth's substance to create ocher to sprinkle on the dead to give the blush of lifelike color. Thus, he became the first artist.

Since that time of development of the human being, there came a spectacular plethora of color of flora, fauna, and human creativity beyond his original miniscule imagination. He must surely been awestruck by the color of the flora and fauna that was an everyday experience.

One is caught up with the imagination running wild as to the experience of color in his everyday life of survival and death. Drawings on caves document his fascination with reproducing animal forms, with perhaps the belief that by doing so would prolong their lives and have them recreated by their birth. He carried his curiosity further by finding ways to make colors from earth elements. Color made his drawings lifelike and more of a pleasure in his work.

If the colors of his environment pleased him, it made life more bearable, but with the coming of fall, he must surely have wondered about their creation and began the original belief of an entity that owned their environment and somehow had a presence over their lives. Color enhanced his pleasure of life, and perhaps to believe that something controlled nature and demanded some allegiance. Color was an awesome event when autumn entered his life, and he must surely live a life that pleased.

Of course, humanity was on the track of continued physical and intellectual development, learning about his environment and himself. Autumn was the most startling time of a vast forest of color unimagined at any other time of his life. It was the continuance of a phenomena of his god of nature who brings forth a fantastic aura of color, takes it away, and brings it back again. Nature ushered in man's earliest beliefs in spirits, God.

As time continued, primitive man became more than a temporary resident of earth. His environment required tools to have him survive, and each year was a time to create and enjoy what he could and his surroundings more pleasant with the use of color.

The ages crept on slowly until a great leap was experienced, and primitive man surpassed the stages of the unexplained to grasp a rudimentary understanding of life and death, and he was to adapt to his environment. Greater blends and shades were developed and utilized in a greater way. Primitive man and his mate began to decorate their bodies, and that was continued to modern days. The early Egyptian royal women were leaders in the use of and creating fascinating face makeup. Their eye makeup led the way for any beauty that their men adored. Their temples and various structures confess their desire to look their best.

It is interesting to note that whatever part of the body the peasant female decorated, they never saw fit to decorate their toes. The pedicure was never considered because their bare feet were always dirty from walking and working in the earth.

The age of chivalry ushered in a wide use of colors from those of an individual to family crests and coats of arms, to various organizations, and with each having its own interpretation of color and crest. This meant that knights wore their own colors of their attire, shields, and horse coverings. The female population adored themselves as well. As time passed, textiles became widespread, with fabrics and colors becoming a dominant force for those who could afford them. For the wealthy obtaining them from afar became a way of life. Such desire has become part of our society today. Women have always been desirous to look their best, especially for special occasions. Last year's attire will never pass inspection for the new occasion.

With textiles and cosmetics taking center stage, their supporting industries have forged to the forefront and have remained. Being good-looking, young, and well attired means everything and is the most important aspect of the modern scene.

The movie industry has not been shy about having their female stars undergo a transformation into goddesses. Added to this are the models who lend their bodies to the experts to mold, design, and decorate without restraint. It all has come a very long way since a primitive colored his cave and Australian Aborigines, African natives, American Indians, and all other natives of Oceania, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia have seen fit to decorate themselves as they please.

At one time, one's choice of a color for his car was black; only vehicle colors are a matter of personal desire. Black cars are still about but outnumbered by far by individual preference. The same holds true for house colors; yes, there are those who like a purple-colored house.

Music and literature both have an outstanding list of their own where color is commonplace. Who doesn't like a blue heaven, a blue lagoon, or the yellow rose of Texas? Universities have their college color as a blue-colored hood at graduation, also green for medical college.

One should not overlook the astonishing Scottish tartans, with their colorful array of plaids.

The Age of Chivalry

Colorful banners continued to be in use on the battlefield until the sixteenth century. It was at that time that European countries started to build standing armies based on permanent groupings of legions and regiments.

Banners then began to lose their heraldic character, and by the beginning of the seventeenth century, most of them displayed painted representations of patron saints or allegorical figures. The example set by the French in 1597 was gradually followed by all countries, and these developed consistent designs for infantry colors and cavalry standards. Military colors served their purpose on the battlefield until the end of the nineteenth century. It was then that modern warfare made the function of colors on the battlefield obsolete. It has been reported that during World War II, some troops displayed their colors.

Perhaps the most prevalent and widespread use of military-unit colors was used by the German Luftwaffe (Air Force) that had a variety of colored insignia painted on their fighter planes. Other than that country, others merely used a national emblem, usually on the wings of their fighters and a singular type on the fuselage. These insignias, emblems, and their colors, as well as colors used by the German military during World War II, will be discussed later.

Flags since their inception have been powerful symbols which, on occasion, have caused totalitarian and oppressive regimes to delegalize the flags of their opponents and to persecute offenders. For decades, Israeli authorities have harshly persecuted Palestinians caught with the flag of Palestine.

On occasion, serious and long-lasting disputes have occurred over the use of colors when flags of a nation were in the process of change. The Flaggenstreit (flag conflict) in Germany after World War I was the longest. It was a conflict between those who wanted to restore the tricolor of 1848 and those who wanted to keep the flag designed by Bismarck in 1867, hence a conflict between the adherents of two ideologies. The colors black, red, and yellow were viewed as the colors of the democratic republic of unity, law, and freedom. On the other hand, the black, white, and red tricolor, combining the colors of Prussia (black and white) and those of Brandenburg (red and white) was a reminder of the glorious days of the empire that was dominated by the militant Prussia. The conflict became so intense that the republican government decided on a compromise. It was agreed upon to restore the flag of 1848 as the national flag; however, all flags for use at sea remained black-white-red, with an addition of the national colors in the upper left (horizontal red and yellow set in the center left of the horizontal black stripe).

It was during the Second Crusade (1147 to 1149) that the basic rules of heraldry were adopted and the returning knights took them back to their countries. The knights had seen the use of natural and mystical beasts in the Middle East, and they thought that the figures on contrasting backgrounds would make excellent signs of identification. One is well aware that wearing a helmet immediately hides one's identity. The shield was the ideal background for the use of such natural and mythological flora and fauna. It was decided to limit the number of heraldic tinctures to seven: five colors (red, blue, green, black, and purple) and two metals (gold and silver).

To achieve the best possible identification from a distance, the rule of alternation was adopted. This forbade putting color on color or metal on metal. A border, or fimbriation of metal, was used to separate adjacent areas of two colors.

Other than the symbol or emblem on a flag, the most significant and outstanding common element are the colors. A single color or combination of colors is the way a flag conveys its symbolic meaning; that is, colors may imply a political or religious ideology or symbolize national traditions or geographical features. In many European countries, the