Krispin Joseph PX
What is your favourite colour? Blue, Red, Yellow or Majentha? What does the colour remind you of? Colour Blue play a significant role in the history of Art and culture. Blue is the colour of the ocean and sky, so artists used it in that way from the beginning. When people enter the eternity of the sky and sea, these colours give artists the to address the heavenly ambience.
Blue may be many people’s favourite because that colour represents stability, serenity, inspiration and wisdom in different cultures. Each colour holds different meanings in various locations, reflecting society’s cultural significance and religion. Why is the colour Blue symbolising ‘sad’ or ‘depression’?
When and where starts the legacy of the colour Blue in human history? Lapis Lazuli was a blue stone in Northern Afghanistan in ancient times that spread out the old civilisations and settlements. The Lapis Lazuli story starts in 1000 BCE and still exists worldwide. These quite expensive materials tell about us and our colour culture, the way we use and treat colour.
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In our ancient historical- literature, there is no proper word for addressing the colour Blue. In ancient Egypt, these Lapis Lazuli is treated as precious stone and pigment, but in Greek no words to address the colour Blue. In Art and Culture, Blue is a unique colour, and getting hard. Only wealthy patronage like Church can afford this Lapis Lazuli pigment, so only Christian Art is used ‘Blue’ colour to depict the heavenly atmosphere in Western Art.
From the old time, the colour Blue was considered Sacred in Egypt, and that sacred value is continued in modern Western Art. In China, they believed that blue pigments had spiritual properties and were used to decorate everything from pottery to textiles. Because of the highly prized, only the wealthiest artists or patronage could afford to use this pigment in ancient times. Only after ultramarine Blue starts to produce artificially does the legacy of the colour Blue end, and the widespread journey starts.
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In our contemporary world, the story of Jaipur Blue Pottery and other craftsmanship belongs to this colour legacy. They created gorgeous pottery and sold it in the local and international markets. In the time of Sawai Ram Singh II, this heritage of Jaipur Blue Pottery started, and this unique piece of Art and Craftmanship still exists and is celebrated. This Blue Pottery became a part of that city’s legacy from that period.
