Does Your 12-Colour Paint Set Have Two Blues?
Yeah, obviously! But, if you were in the seventeenth century, you’d be considered royal! If you desperately wanted a bottle of blue paint, you may have had to sell your house or expensive jewelry! On the flip side, if you were from the ancient times, in all likelihood, you may have been oblivious to the existence of the colour blue.
Observe these paintings. Does something strike you as particularly weird? That’s right, these paintings are devoid of the colour blue!
Our forefathers did not associate with the colour blue, partially because blue was so hard to see in their times. For instance, blue eyes were exceptionally uncommon and blue flowers and blue birds were virtually non-existent in areas that were habited by humans. The rare blue gemstone, Lapis-Lazuli, from Afghanistan was only accessible and known to a select few. As a result, the colour blue was alien to early humans.
But Wait ... Wasn’t the Sky Blue Then?
Well yeah, the sky was blue during those days as well, but ... did you know our minds are ‘trained’ to associate blue with the sky and the seas? Studies have shown that infants and toddlers, who have not yet been trained on colours, generally perceive the day-time sky to be white, rather than blue. It has been proven that people perceive the sky to be blue only after being taught so. Over a period of time, people started seeing other blue objects and began associating the colour blue with the colour of the sky.
So, When Exactly Did Blue Become Popular?
You’ll have to thank the Egyptians for synthetically producing the world’s first blue pigment. They produced Azurite by concocting a mix of limestone, sand and minerals that contained copper. Soon the word spread, and the rest of the world followed suit, making different blue pigments using a mélange of manufacturing processes. On the downside, since the blue pigment was both difficult and expensive to produce, only the affluent could use it in their daily lives. As a result, blue came to be associated with wealth and royalty.
So, when did denim and blue clothing become common?
Blue became a colour of the masses when people began to cultivate a particular variety of the Indigo plant that was used to prepare Indigo coloured dyes. Yes, you read that right! The colour Indigo got its name from the plant and not vice versa. And that’s how denims and blue clothing are in vogue today! Aren’t you glad you weren’t born centuries earlier? Imagine a wardrobe sans blue … Geez, BORING!
The Etymology of Royal Blue
Until recently, many people (me included) believed that the term ‘Royal Blue’ came into existence because Lapis-Lazuli and Azurite were both extremely expensive, and therefore could only be purchased by people with a royal bloodline. However, that’s a make-believe tale that isn’t true!
The history of the name ‘royal blue’ is much more recent. In the early 19th century, the hue was created to make a dress for Queen Charlotte of England and the name stuck!
Now that you’ve learnt so much about this ubiquitous colour that adorns practically every place, be it your notebooks or your wardrobes, take a blue ink pen and sketch a little picture in honour of the colour that we’ve all grown to love!
Meanwhile, think about this—how did our forefathers feel Monday Morning Blues, when they weren’t aware of blue?
“There are connoisseurs of blue just as there are connoisseurs of wine."
― Sidonie Gabrielle Colette.
If you are a true-blue connoisseur, raise a toast with some blue mocktail and cheer for this beautiful colour!