Color symbolism

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Major theorists Tim Asch Gregory Bateson Franz Boas Pierre Bourdieu John Collier Frances Densmore Robert J. Flaherty Robert Gardner Alfred Gell Robert Hugh Layton Claude Lévi-Strauss Alan Lomax John Marshall Margaret Mead Alan Merriam Bruno Nettl Hortense Powdermaker Jean Rouch
Social and cultural anthropology

Color symbolism in art and anthropology refers to the use of color as a symbol in various cultures. There is great diversity in the use of colors and their associations between cultures^[1] and even within the same culture in different time periods.^[2] The same color may have very different associations within the same culture at any time. For example, red is often used for stop signs^[3] or danger.^[4] At the same time, red is also frequently used in association with romance, e.g. with Valentine's Day.^[5] White variously signifies purity, innocence, wisdom or death. Blue has similarly diverse meanings.

Diversity in color symbolism occurs because color meanings and symbolism occur on an individual, cultural and universal basis. Color symbolism is also context-dependent and influenced by changes over time.^[6]

Symbolic representations of religious concepts or articles may include a specific color with which the concept or object is associated.^[7] There is evidence to suggest that colors have been used for this purpose as early as 90,000 BC.^[8]

Extensive associations for each color are listed in their respective articles.

Arthur Bliss wrote A Colour Symphony in 1922, depicting in each movement a particular color and its associated symbolism.

See also

• Color code
• Color psychology
• Political colour
• The Three Colors trilogy

References

External links

• Colours In Cultures
• Color Symbolism in The Bible

Color topics
Red Orange Yellow Green Cyan Blue Indigo Violet Purple Magenta Pink Brown White Gray Black
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Color philosophy	Color space Color model additive subtractive Color mixing Primary color Secondary color Tertiary color (intermediate) Quaternary color Quinary color Aggressive color (warm) Receding color (cool) Pastel colors Color gradient Color scheme Color tool Monochromatic colors Complementary colors Analogous colors Achromatic colors (Neutral) Polychromatic colors Impossible colors Light-on-dark Tinctures in heraldry Color theory Chromaticity diagram Color solid Color wheel Color triangle Color analysis (art) Color realism (art style)
Color terms	Basic terms Blue Green Red Yellow Pink Purple Orange Black Gray White Brown Cultural differences Linguistic relativity and the color naming debate Blue–green distinction in language Color history Color in Chinese culture Traditional colors of Japan Human skin color Color dimensions Hue Dichromatism Colorfulness (chroma and saturation) Tints and shades Lightness (tone and value) Grayscale
Color organizations	Pantone Color Marketing Group The Color Association of the United States International Colour Authority International Commission on Illumination (CIE) International Color Consortium International Colour Association
Lists	List of colors: A–F List of colors: G–M List of colors: N–Z List of colors (compact) List of colors by shade List of color palettes List of color spaces List of Crayola crayon colors history pencil colors marker colors Color chart List of fictional colors List of RAL colors List of web colors
Related	Vision Image processing Multi-primary color display Quattron Qualia Lighting Local color (visual art)
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