Assignment: Tuesday Lesson : Color and Culture

ART B
2021-08-26T21:04:40Z

Due:

Color Meanings in Other Cultures

Color in Indian Culture

Read the text below and then afterwards complete Reading Review (in Modules)

Color is an important aspect of every culture. Colors can represent love, anger, sadness, infidelity, and religious affiliations, depending on the culture. In this lesson, we will look at the different meanings of colors in cultures around the world.

Part 1: Color Meanings

Colors carry deep meanings with them in every culture. Western, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, Indian, and African cultures have stark differences in the symbolism of colors within their cultures. For instance, in some cultures, white represents innocence, but in others, it can represent death. The symbolism of colors often stems from religious, spiritual, social, or historical events. In this lesson, we will look at the symbolic meanings of colors in cultures all over the globe.

Red and Blue

Red

Red symbolizes love and passion in many countries in North and South America, and Europe. In America, Valentine's Day is represented with red hearts to celebrate love. Red has several meanings in Indian culture. Red can represent fear, wealth, purity, love, marriage, and beauty. Women wearing red henna on their hands and sindoor, a red powder, along their hairlines mean that they are married.

In China, red represents luck and fertility. For example, during the Chinese New Year's celebration, small red envelopes are distributed to symbolize good fortune. Women often wear red on their wedding days to symbolize fertility and a marked change in a woman's life. In Thailand, red symbolizes their sun god Surya. Red also marks Sunday, as every day of the week in Thailand is represented by a certain color.

Red in African cultures symbolizes death and grief. In Nigeria and South Africa, red symbolizes violence and sacrifice. The flag of South Africa has red in it to symbolize the violence that occurred during its fight for freedom.

Blue

Blue is a dichotomous color because it bears both positive and negative meanings. For example, in North America, blue represents trust and serenity, but it can also symbolize depression and loneliness. For example, American banks, such as Citibank and Bank of America, use blue in their logos because it represents trust and security. Blue is also a symbol of masculinity in North America and Europe, but in China, it is considered a symbol of femininity.

In Asia and the Middle East, especially among Hindus, blue represents immortality. Blue is connected to Krishna who symbolizes love and divinity. In Ukraine, the color blue can symbolize healing. It is also said to repel evil in countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Albania. Citizens can be seen wearing blue amulets to protect them from evil.

Green and Yellow

Green

Green symbolizes luck, prosperity, renewal, and jealousy in the United States and Ireland. In the United States, green can mean wealth, which is represented by the color of the dollar. On the other hand, a person can be described as 'green' when they lack life experience. In Mexico, green represents freedom and independence. The color is an integral part of its national flag.

Islamic culture holds green up as the most valuable color. Green is a sacred color that symbolizes the prophet Muhammad. Green also represents respect, which is treated with great care in many Middle Eastern cultures. In Far Eastern cultures, green can symbolize eternity, infidelity, luck, wealth, and fertility. For example, in China, men wearing green hats mean that their wives have cheated on them. On the other hand, Chinese people carry around jade stones to represent virtue. In Japan, green represents eternity and vitality.

Yellow

Yellow represents jealousy, betrayal, and weakness in France and Germany. For example, in France during the tenth century, traitors' doors were painted yellow. In North America, yellow is a symbol for happiness, warmth, and hope. Egyptians believe that yellow symbolizes mourning and the afterlife. For example, during Egyptian times, tombs were painted gold.

Orange and Purple

Orange

In Ireland, the color orange is important because Irish-Protestants wear orange, while Irish-Catholics wear green. In Buddhist cultures, orange symbolizes peace, humility, and love. Monks wear orange robes to represent their dedication to a humble life. Orange symbolizes bravery and camaraderie in Ukraine. The Orange Revolution in 2004 marked the unification of the country, when the citizens stood up against the government after a corrupt election.

Purple

In Japan, purple represents nobility and spirituality. For example, the highest-ranking monks wear purple robes.

Purple is treated with a special reverence because the color used to be very rare, as it was difficult to produce in nature. In Thailand, purple represents death and mourning. For example, widowed women wear purple after the deaths of their husbands. In the United States, purple symbolizes courage. Soldiers are given the Purple Heart after they have been wounded during wartimes.

Black and White

Black

Black symbolizes death and mourning in many western cultures. In the United States, Mexico, Greece, and England, it is customary to wear black to a funeral. Some cultures in Mexico and Greece require widowed women to wear black for the rest of their lives.

In African cultures, black represents maturity and masculinity. Men wear black to demonstrate their transformation from boy to man. In China, young boys wear black. The color represents formality and sophistication.

White

In most western cultures, white represent innocence and purity. In the United States and Western European countries, women wear white on their wedding days. Babies are also christened in a white gown. In several Asian cultures, including China and Korea, white symbolizes death. White is often worn to funerals.

Lesson Summary

Each color carries with it a symbolic representation that shapes cultures across the world. These meanings are so important that they can affect a person's entire life. Widowed women in rural regions of Mexico wear black for the rest of their lives. The meaning of each color can be linked to social, religious, and historical events that have left an everlasting impact on a culture. What do colors mean for you?

In East Asia, colors have some very specific and important meanings. In this lesson, we're going to explore the traditional colors of China and Japan, and examine where they are similar and different.

Part 2: Colors and Cultures

Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow means speed up and pretend you didn't notice that the light was about to change. In every culture, colors are more than just a pretty part of life. They have meaning. Different colors are used in different ways; they can indicate different things and carry some pretty strong messages. Some of this relates to human psychology (blue has a calming effect, while red is exciting), but much of it is cultural. One place where we can really see a strong association between color and meaning is in the East Asian cultures of China and Japan.

Colors in China

Color in Chinese culture has historically been more rooted in philosophy than nearly anywhere else in the world. Much of Chinese society was guided by unified cosmological philosophies, and the colors of art, architecture and daily life were no exception. It's important to note that Chinese artists and designers had access to a plethora of colors over the years, which changed according to the tastes and styles of each era, so for now we're focusing on the main five colors that define the Chinese aesthetic, both historically and today.

The Chinese color scheme is based around the five colors of black, red, 'grue', white, and yellow. These colors are associated with the cosmological philosophy of Taoism, which teaches the balance of cosmological forces to attain spiritual harmony. In Taoism, the cosmos is composed of five elements, each of which has a different relationship to spiritual forces. These can be balanced through the discipline of feng shui, in which elements and colors are used to control the flow of spiritual energy in a specific setting.

That's the basic philosophy, now let's look at the actual colors...

Black

The first of China's traditional colors is black. Black is a neutral color and one of the two original colors of the universe (it's partner being it's opposite- white). Black is the color of the heavens, and considered sacred in that respect. In terms of the five elements, it is associated with water. Black appears frequently throughout Chinese art, which traditionally relied on black inks, and is still a major part of Chinese art and fashion today.

Red

Next is red. Red is associated with fire and is believed to bring good luck and happiness. That's why it's so commonly used in festival decorations, notably those surrounding the lunar New Year celebrations. This auspicious color is traditionally prohibited in funerals. Today, red can be found widely across China. This is partly due to its historic legacy, but also because red is the traditional color associated with communism, so it's widely connected to China's communist government.

Red lanterns in China

Yellow

Yellow is the color of the earth, representing also the center of the cosmos. For this reason, yellow (or gold) was historically the color of the Chinese emperor. The emperor was the center of China, which (as anyone in historic China knew) was at the center of the universe. Yellow has also developed another meaning in China: in Chinese Buddhism yellow is a color representing both freedom or detachment and mourning.

Traditionally, yellow was the color of the emperor

White

Finally, we get to white, associated with metal. White is the opposite of black, both balancing each other in the system of yin and yang. Historically, it was also the color of mourning, worn only in funerals. So, don't expect to find it as frequently in traditional Chinese art as the other colors.

Colors in Japan

Japan's color palette is largely influenced by China's and its roots can be traced back to roughly the 7th century, a time when Chinese philosophies were prevalent on Japan's islands. However, these colors have been interpreted in distinctly different ways, largely because Taoism did not became a major philosophy in Japan. Colors in Japan are defined partly by Chinese Confucianism, in which each class of society was associated with a color, but even more defined by Zen Buddhism and the native Japanese religion of Shinto. As a result, Japan relies on four primary colors, considered the only pure or genuine colors in the Japanese language, which are red, black, white, and blue.

Here are a few examples of the differences. In Japan, red is also one of the most dominant colors, but for different reasons than in China. It is seen as the color of the sun, and the symbolic color of the nation. As thus, it is a symbol of authority. Red is also believed to bring good luck in Japan, especially when paired with white. White is the color of divine purity, which is why is it commonly found in Shinto shrines, especially in the famous white sand or pebble gardens. Black is a color of formality, and blue is associated with the sea and sky.

The flag of Japan features a red sun

These colors have been historically important in Japan, but where they really stand out is in textiles. Japanese kimonos and other garments were, historically, very carefully designed, and in fact defined according to the symbolic meaning of each color. The geisha famously wore different color-schemed kimonos for every month of the year. Even today, modern fashion designers in Japan often incorporate traditional colors into textiles. As old meets new, these colors take on another meaning: the continuity of traditional Japanese culture in the modern world.

Lesson Summary

In China and Japan, colors have extremely significant meanings. In China, the five colors of black, red, grue, yellow, and white correspond to the five sacred elements of Taoism: water, fire, wood, earth, and metal, respectively. Japan has four traditional colors, seen as the only truly pure colors, which are white, black, red, and blue. These colors were especially important in Japanese textiles, and are still used by many modern fashion designers. Colors are more than just something pretty to look at, especially in East Asia where they represent much deeper ideas ranging from one's place in society to one's place in the entire cosmos.

Now complete READING REVIEW QUIZ

Color Meanings in Other Cultures

Color in Indian Culture

Read the text below and then afterwards complete Reading Review (in Modules)

Color is an important aspect of every culture. Colors can represent love, anger, sadness, infidelity, and religious affiliations, depending on the culture. In this lesson, we will look at the different meanings of colors in cultures around the world.

Part 1: Color Meanings

Colors carry deep meanings with them in every culture. Western, Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, Indian, and African cultures have stark differences in the symbolism of colors within their cultures. For instance, in some cultures, white represents innocence, but in others, it can represent death. The symbolism of colors often stems from religious, spiritual, social, or historical events. In this lesson, we will look at the symbolic meanings of colors in cultures all over the globe.

Red and Blue

Red

Red symbolizes love and passion in many countries in North and South America, and Europe. In America, Valentine's Day is represented with red hearts to celebrate love. Red has several meanings in Indian culture. Red can represent fear, wealth, purity, love, marriage, and beauty. Women wearing red henna on their hands and sindoor, a red powder, along their hairlines mean that they are married.

In China, red represents luck and fertility. For example, during the Chinese New Year's celebration, small red envelopes are distributed to symbolize good fortune. Women often wear red on their wedding days to symbolize fertility and a marked change in a woman's life. In Thailand, red symbolizes their sun god Surya. Red also marks Sunday, as every day of the week in Thailand is represented by a certain color.

Red in African cultures symbolizes death and grief. In Nigeria and South Africa, red symbolizes violence and sacrifice. The flag of South Africa has red in it to symbolize the violence that occurred during its fight for freedom.

Blue

Blue is a dichotomous color because it bears both positive and negative meanings. For example, in North America, blue represents trust and serenity, but it can also symbolize depression and loneliness. For example, American banks, such as Citibank and Bank of America, use blue in their logos because it represents trust and security. Blue is also a symbol of masculinity in North America and Europe, but in China, it is considered a symbol of femininity.

In Asia and the Middle East, especially among Hindus, blue represents immortality. Blue is connected to Krishna who symbolizes love and divinity. In Ukraine, the color blue can symbolize healing. It is also said to repel evil in countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Albania. Citizens can be seen wearing blue amulets to protect them from evil.

Green and Yellow

Green

Green symbolizes luck, prosperity, renewal, and jealousy in the United States and Ireland. In the United States, green can mean wealth, which is represented by the color of the dollar. On the other hand, a person can be described as 'green' when they lack life experience. In Mexico, green represents freedom and independence. The color is an integral part of its national flag.

Islamic culture holds green up as the most valuable color. Green is a sacred color that symbolizes the prophet Muhammad. Green also represents respect, which is treated with great care in many Middle Eastern cultures. In Far Eastern cultures, green can symbolize eternity, infidelity, luck, wealth, and fertility. For example, in China, men wearing green hats mean that their wives have cheated on them. On the other hand, Chinese people carry around jade stones to represent virtue. In Japan, green represents eternity and vitality.

Yellow

Yellow represents jealousy, betrayal, and weakness in France and Germany. For example, in France during the tenth century, traitors' doors were painted yellow. In North America, yellow is a symbol for happiness, warmth, and hope. Egyptians believe that yellow symbolizes mourning and the afterlife. For example, during Egyptian times, tombs were painted gold.

Orange and Purple

Orange

In Ireland, the color orange is important because Irish-Protestants wear orange, while Irish-Catholics wear green. In Buddhist cultures, orange symbolizes peace, humility, and love. Monks wear orange robes to represent their dedication to a humble life. Orange symbolizes bravery and camaraderie in Ukraine. The Orange Revolution in 2004 marked the unification of the country, when the citizens stood up against the government after a corrupt election.

Purple

In Japan, purple represents nobility and spirituality. For example, the highest-ranking monks wear purple robes.

Purple is treated with a special reverence because the color used to be very rare, as it was difficult to produce in nature. In Thailand, purple represents death and mourning. For example, widowed women wear purple after the deaths of their husbands. In the United States, purple symbolizes courage. Soldiers are given the Purple Heart after they have been wounded during wartimes.

Black and White

Black

Black symbolizes death and mourning in many western cultures. In the United States, Mexico, Greece, and England, it is customary to wear black to a funeral. Some cultures in Mexico and Greece require widowed women to wear black for the rest of their lives.

In African cultures, black represents maturity and masculinity. Men wear black to demonstrate their transformation from boy to man. In China, young boys wear black. The color represents formality and sophistication.

White

In most western cultures, white represent innocence and purity. In the United States and Western European countries, women wear white on their wedding days. Babies are also christened in a white gown. In several Asian cultures, including China and Korea, white symbolizes death. White is often worn to funerals.

Lesson Summary

Each color carries with it a symbolic representation that shapes cultures across the world. These meanings are so important that they can affect a person's entire life. Widowed women in rural regions of Mexico wear black for the rest of their lives. The meaning of each color can be linked to social, religious, and historical events that have left an everlasting impact on a culture. What do colors mean for you?

In East Asia, colors have some very specific and important meanings. In this lesson, we're going to explore the traditional colors of China and Japan, and examine where they are similar and different.

Part 2: Colors and Cultures

Red means stop. Green means go. Yellow means speed up and pretend you didn't notice that the light was about to change. In every culture, colors are more than just a pretty part of life. They have meaning. Different colors are used in different ways; they can indicate different things and carry some pretty strong messages. Some of this relates to human psychology (blue has a calming effect, while red is exciting), but much of it is cultural. One place where we can really see a strong association between color and meaning is in the East Asian cultures of China and Japan.

Colors in China

Color in Chinese culture has historically been more rooted in philosophy than nearly anywhere else in the world. Much of Chinese society was guided by unified cosmological philosophies, and the colors of art, architecture and daily life were no exception. It's important to note that Chinese artists and designers had access to a plethora of colors over the years, which changed according to the tastes and styles of each era, so for now we're focusing on the main five colors that define the Chinese aesthetic, both historically and today.

The Chinese color scheme is based around the five colors of black, red, 'grue', white, and yellow. These colors are associated with the cosmological philosophy of Taoism, which teaches the balance of cosmological forces to attain spiritual harmony. In Taoism, the cosmos is composed of five elements, each of which has a different relationship to spiritual forces. These can be balanced through the discipline of feng shui, in which elements and colors are used to control the flow of spiritual energy in a specific setting.

That's the basic philosophy, now let's look at the actual colors...

Black

The first of China's traditional colors is black. Black is a neutral color and one of the two original colors of the universe (it's partner being it's opposite- white). Black is the color of the heavens, and considered sacred in that respect. In terms of the five elements, it is associated with water. Black appears frequently throughout Chinese art, which traditionally relied on black inks, and is still a major part of Chinese art and fashion today.

Red

Next is red. Red is associated with fire and is believed to bring good luck and happiness. That's why it's so commonly used in festival decorations, notably those surrounding the lunar New Year celebrations. This auspicious color is traditionally prohibited in funerals. Today, red can be found widely across China. This is partly due to its historic legacy, but also because red is the traditional color associated with communism, so it's widely connected to China's communist government.

Red lanterns in China

Yellow

Yellow is the color of the earth, representing also the center of the cosmos. For this reason, yellow (or gold) was historically the color of the Chinese emperor. The emperor was the center of China, which (as anyone in historic China knew) was at the center of the universe. Yellow has also developed another meaning in China: in Chinese Buddhism yellow is a color representing both freedom or detachment and mourning.

Traditionally, yellow was the color of the emperor

White

Finally, we get to white, associated with metal. White is the opposite of black, both balancing each other in the system of yin and yang. Historically, it was also the color of mourning, worn only in funerals. So, don't expect to find it as frequently in traditional Chinese art as the other colors.

Colors in Japan

Japan's color palette is largely influenced by China's and its roots can be traced back to roughly the 7th century, a time when Chinese philosophies were prevalent on Japan's islands. However, these colors have been interpreted in distinctly different ways, largely because Taoism did not became a major philosophy in Japan. Colors in Japan are defined partly by Chinese Confucianism, in which each class of society was associated with a color, but even more defined by Zen Buddhism and the native Japanese religion of Shinto. As a result, Japan relies on four primary colors, considered the only pure or genuine colors in the Japanese language, which are red, black, white, and blue.

Here are a few examples of the differences. In Japan, red is also one of the most dominant colors, but for different reasons than in China. It is seen as the color of the sun, and the symbolic color of the nation. As thus, it is a symbol of authority. Red is also believed to bring good luck in Japan, especially when paired with white. White is the color of divine purity, which is why is it commonly found in Shinto shrines, especially in the famous white sand or pebble gardens. Black is a color of formality, and blue is associated with the sea and sky.

The flag of Japan features a red sun

These colors have been historically important in Japan, but where they really stand out is in textiles. Japanese kimonos and other garments were, historically, very carefully designed, and in fact defined according to the symbolic meaning of each color. The geisha famously wore different color-schemed kimonos for every month of the year. Even today, modern fashion designers in Japan often incorporate traditional colors into textiles. As old meets new, these colors take on another meaning: the continuity of traditional Japanese culture in the modern world.

Lesson Summary

In China and Japan, colors have extremely significant meanings. In China, the five colors of black, red, grue, yellow, and white correspond to the five sacred elements of Taoism: water, fire, wood, earth, and metal, respectively. Japan has four traditional colors, seen as the only truly pure colors, which are white, black, red, and blue. These colors were especially important in Japanese textiles, and are still used by many modern fashion designers. Colors are more than just something pretty to look at, especially in East Asia where they represent much deeper ideas ranging from one's place in society to one's place in the entire cosmos.

Now complete READING REVIEW QUIZ