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HISTORY
INTRODUCTION
The effects of colour on life must have been of great significance to early human beings,
whose very existence was governed by light and darkness. Most living things appear to be
vitalised by the bright reds, oranges and yellows of daylight, and calmed and rejuvenated by
the blues, indigos and violets of the night. For the ancients, the colours that make up sunlight
were each considered to show a different aspect of the divine and to influence different
qualities of life. Colour is therefore an important feature in the symbolism of ancient cultures
throughout the world and the origins of healing with colour in Western civilisation can be
traced back to the mythology of ancient Egypt and Greece.
THE ANCIENT WORLD
According to ancient Egyptian mythology, the art of healing with colour was founded by the
God Thoth. He was known to the Ancient Greeks as Hermes Trismegistus, literally ‘Hermes
thrice-greatest’, because he was also credited with various works on mysticism and magic.
Teachings attributed to him include the use of colour in healing. In the Hermetic tradition,
the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used coloured minerals, stones, crystals, salves and dyes as
remedies and painted treatment sanctuaries in various shades of colour.
Animals that existed with man are depicted in cave drawings found in different parts of the
world. These were hunted by man for meat. This is shown in the form of art and some of
these drawings date back ten thousand years. Mineral pigments were used to paint these and
they lasted throughout the centuries due to the constant temperature and humidity of the
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limestone caves where they were found. The making of these pigments was an advanced art
for early man . The colours used were mostly browns, reds and blacks, which were made of
natural clays and burnt charcoal. Everything in life was coloured and man tried to symbolise
and copy it. Identification was made with the sun, the skies, the earth, the stars and the
rainbow. Man looked upon these symbols and copied them. Simple colours seemed to go
with the primitive. When aniline dyestuffs were brought to the Indians of the southwestern
United States, their textiles became peacock blues, gaudy magentas and sulphur yellows.
Colour is a language and every hue has a definite significance. However, it is difficult to find
meanings attached to the colours of early man. Darwin wrote, “We know that the colour of
skin is regarded by men of all races as a highly important element of their beauty.” The
Egyptians chose extreme redness. For the peoples of the north, whiteness; for Orientals,
yellowness or goldness and for Negroes, extreme blackness.
The Egyptians used henna to stain their bodies red.
Red was exaggerated when they
portrayed themselves. The American Indian is popularly known today as a true Red Man.
Red became the most significant of colours. In the cultures that rose along the Nile in
northern Africa and along the Tigress and Euphrates in Asia Minor, red was dominant.
Jewellery had its origin in mysticism. Although rings, necklaces and bracelets enhanced
appearance, they were used in general to protect the wearer from disease and the “evil eye”
and also to bring favor from the gods. The Egyptians understood colour and used purple as
the colour of the earth. Amethyst became the talisman of the warrior and gave him courage
and calm to go forward and be victorious. They used blue on the ceilings of their temples
with drawings of the constellations. Their floors were often green or blue, relating to the
meadows of the Nile.
The colour blue is associated with the Virgin Mary and relates to an ancient attitude. Many
tribes of Indians in America, including Apache and Cherokee, identify colour with the four
quarters of the earth. The American Indian has colour for the world to see as he sees it -
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generally black. However, his higher world may be made up of many colours. The colours
of the masks, the tattooing of his face and the effigies they make are full of significance. He
also applies colour to his songs, ceremonies, games and prayers to invoke many different
things - rain, harvest, peace and victory, fertility. The Hopi, who are involved in painting,
will place yellow colour, which represents the north, first, then place the green or blue of the
west, the red of the south and the white of the east. The American Indian symbolises red for
day and black for night. Red, yellow and black are masculine, whilst white, blue and green
are feminine colours. To the Cherokee, red is for his success and triumph, while blue denotes
defeat or turbulence. White is for happiness and peace and black is for death. Their prayer
sticks are bright green to call the rain and red in time of war. The American Indian relates
colour to the elements of fire, wind, water and earth. Evil was thought to be repelled through
certain rituals, charms, colours and chants. Marduke carried a red stone shaped like an eye
between his teeth to overcome all evil influences. The Egyptians wore the crucifix to defy
the red Satan.
Interests in the physical nature of colour developed in Ancient Greece alongside the concept
of the elements – air, fire, water and earth. These fundamental constituents of the universe
were associated with the qualities of coldness, heat, wetness and dryness and also with four
humours or bodily fluids – choler or yellow bile, blood (red), phlegm (white) and melancholy
or black bile. These were thought to arise in four organs – the spleen, heart, liver and brain –
and to determine emotional and physical disposition. Health involved the proper balance of
these humours and disease would result if their mixture was in an unbalanced proportion.
Colour was intrinsic to healing, which involved restoring the balance. Coloured garments,
oils, plasters, ointments and salves were used to treat disease.
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By the end of the Classical period in Greece, these principles were included in the scientific
framework that was to remain largely unchanged in the West until the Middle Ages. In the
first century AD, Aurelius Cornelius followed the doctrines established by Pythagoras and
Hippocrates and included the use of coloured ointments, plasters and flowers in several
treatises on medicine.
4500 B.C. To decorate the walls of their temples, which were constructed of limestone,
sandstone, alabaster and granite, the Egyptians made use of bright colours. Colour was also
added to their sculpture. Now the statue’s of Princesses showed red lips, black hair and
eyebrows, as well as coloured necklaces of mostly red and blue’s. The statue of Khafre is of
stone covered with fine stucco and painted. The statue of the Sheik el-Beled is of wood
covered with fine linen and painted. The walls of temples and tombs were covered with
harmonious murals done in flat, even tones of colour.
3000 B.C. The Babylonians, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Persians built with clay bricks. They
covered these bricks with glazed tiles of brilliant colours on both the inside and outside of
their buildings.
Their use of colour was adapted to their tropical or semi-tropical
environment. Bright colours were right for their clear skies and brilliant sunlight. They
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sought dazzling brilliance and applied glazed tiles of bright colours to the facades of their
buildings, which glistened in the sunlight. Persian interior decorations were designed to be
seen in shade and included rose, flame red, white and gold on a lustrous blue ground. The
Persians occupied a colorful region at high altitude, where the air was clear, and they took
full advantage of the situation.
The beautiful glazed tiles on their buildings made an
imposing spectacle, visible from a considerable distance. Turquoise blue, burnt-out pinks,
pale greens, dull yellows, violets, blues, browns, ivory whites, lilacs, yellows, greens, both
pure and in combination, were included in the colouring of their decorations and in designs
over white inscriptions and gold arabesques.
1500 B.C. The Egyptians had a high degree of civilization at this time. The walls of their
temples, inside and outside, were decorated with low relief’s painted in bright, flat colours.
The bright sunlight created deep shadows within and these shaded interiors were adorned in
red, blue, green, yellow, white and gold. Glazed tiles were applied to the ceilings and floors
and were supplemented by mural paintings. By this time, the Egyptians were producing
colorful jewellery and glass vases. A typical vase was dark blue, with a pattern in light blue,
yellow and white. The temple of Karnak at Thebes, a new structure at the time, was probably
the most colorful edifice ever constructed by man. All the colours used were strong - there
were no tints. Red, yellow, green and blue predominated.
About 1500 B.C. the Greeks were enjoying a well-organized civilization. They decorated
their temples with black, brown, white, green, purple, yellow, red and blue. They applied
flat, simple and pure colour. It correlated with and was subordinate to the architectural
design. White marbles were coated with ivory wax. On the temples, the colour was applied
mainly to the upper part of the building.
In the retaining walls, the peristyle, the column
shaft and its base, there was little or no colouring. The Greeks painted their statues and
sculpted relief’s, but not to imitate nature. They used colour in this connection for purposes
of design and the relative position of the object, rather than the subject itself, dictated the
colour used. Thus, the hair and beard of a figure might be painted blue or otherwise. The
painting of such figures was a specialized art and was seldom done by the sculptor. Ivory
carvings were painted and gilded.
About 1500 B.C. the Romans constructed temples of concrete and brick, faced with marble
and stucco. Their use of colour was borrowed from the Greeks.
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450 B.C. The Greeks constructed marble buildings and decorated them with sculptured
relief’s, which were painted. Red and blue predominated, but were relieved by touches of
green, yellow, black and gilding. Although there is no trace of colour in the remains of the
Parthenon now, it was originally highly colourful.
The triglyphs and decorations above and below were in blue and the string courses, metopes
and undercutting of the cornice were in red. Greek players presenting Homer’s “Odyssey”
were clothed in purple to signify the sea wanderings of Ulysses. When presenting “The
Iliad” the players wore scarlet to represent bloody battles. Evil spirits were usually daubed
with green, like reptiles, and the bacchantes smeared themselves with wine dregs or mulberry
juice.
A.D. 400 The ancient Greek town of Byzantium, renamed Constantinople, had been made
the capital of the Roman Empire during the 4th Century of the Christian Era. Christianity
had become the leading religion. Byzantine colouring was much influenced by the Persians,
Egyptians and Greeks, from whose buildings many treasures were “borrowed” to beautify the
new capital city. The temples were often altered for use as Christian churches. They were
plain outside, but the interiors were richly decorated with gilding and mosaics.
A.D. 500 For thousands of years civilizations had been developing all over the world and by
the year 500 many of them showed a high degree of perfection. In India, temples were
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resplendent with elaborate carvings, brilliant colouring applied with paint, mosaics and inlays
made from precious stones.
From various associations, through the ages colour had
developed a symbolism in the Far East and was used in accordance with that code. The roof
tiles of Chinese royal buildings were yellow.
The roof tiles of private dwellings were green or blue, according to the rank of the owner.
The beams and underside of the projecting roof and the interiors were elaborately ornamented
and decorated with gold and vermilion lacquer and inlay. Blue was the predominating colour
effect of the temples and included tiles of deep cobalt. Pagodas were embellished with
beautiful glazed tiles in deep purplish blue, rich green, yellow, red and turquoise blue.
Wooden statues were covered with gesso and painted.
The exteriors of Japanese Buddhist temples were usually plain, but the interiors were lavishly
adorned. The timbers were decorated with vermilion, blue, green, gilding and lacquer and the
walls with fresco paintings. Mother-of-Pearl and silver were worked into the ceilings, rich
colour and gilding into the walls and black lacquer inlaid with ivory was used for partitions,
etc.
A.D. 650 The Mohammedans in their mosques used wood, plaster and stone, ornamented
with ivory, marble and coloured glass inlay. Fresco paintings decorated the walls, reflecting
strong reds, yellows and blues, supplemented with gold.
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A.D. 1000 The Christians were constructing their buildings of brick, stone and wood. The
ornamentation of the interiors was not only decorative, but had instructive value and was in
the mediums of colourful fresco paintings and mosaic. In Constantinople, in the Church of
Santa Sophia, built about 550, the interior was elaborately adorned and very colourful.
Marbles of green, rose, white and deep red were used. The ceiling was of gold. Coloured
enamels were applied and ivory carvings were painted and gilded.
Where civilizations had developed in the Americas, bright colours abounded. The Mayans,
who occupied lands now known as Yucatan and Guatemala, built of limestone, cement and
concrete. Their structures were painted outside and inside with red, yellow, blue, black,
purple and several greens. Murals were painted in both wet and dry plaster.
The Aztecs in what is now Mexico built with concrete, faced with cut limestone. Their
structures, like those of the Mayans, were highly coloured both inside and outside with paint
and mosaics.
The Incas, whose influence extended over a large part of south America and was
concentrated in what is now Peru, Bolivia and Chile, used colour lavishly. For the most part,
they built with granite and applied bright colours to all parts of their structures, like the
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peoples of central America. They wove it into their fabrics and decorated their utensils and
equipment with it.
The peoples of central Africa and Polynesia, the American Indian and the Eskimo all found
colour to be indispensable to their happiness and have invariably made lavish use of bright
pure colours on their edifices, tents, boats, utensils, apparel, etc.
Europe of the Renaissance and After
In most of the smaller European buildings, colour has been frequently applied to the
exteriors. These structures have mostly been constructed of wood and plaster. After the
Renaissance, larger stone buildings bore no other exterior decoration than unpainted carving.
Venetian architecture included facades of various coloured marbles, with sculptured
ornament enhanced by gold leaf, which were applied on flat grounds of ultramarine blue.
Stained glass windows played an important part in the decorative scheme of the Gothic
cathedrals of France.
In addition to these windows, the walls, capitals, statues and
ornamental details of the churches were coloured and gilded.
In the sixteenth century in Spain the working of iron became a fine art. The skilled artisans
applied or inlaid brass, copper, gold and other contrasting metals to the iron for decoration.
They also employed enamels and gilding. Red velvet was found effective - or stained wood as a background for pierced work or for pieces in which the motif was of an open design.
God was supposed to have given Moses five mystic colours. These were red, blue, purple,
white and gold. The usage of these was prescribed by divine command (Sarum ritual). Only
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two colours were used by the Greek church, of which red was for Lent. The Roman church
used red, green, violet, black and white. Red has been the usual Sunday colour in church, as
well as the colour of penitence on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Easter Even, Whitsun Even,
etc. White has become symbolic of Eastertide; yellow of confessional feasts; brown or gray,
with violet, of penitence. Violet or amethyst has been associated with passion and suffering
in the church, as related to love and truth. The trinity of colour was red (divine love), blue
(truth and constancy), and yellow or gold (divine glory).
Through the ages, the use of colour has been characteristic of the nature of the people and the
political, social, and economic conditions under which they lived. It has reflected their
energy, power, wealth and cultural development.
Red – Blood
As used by the church in festivals of martyred saints and the Holy Cross, red signifies divine
love, charity, martyrdom for faith. The emblem of human life - Adam - means red. Red
stands for health (India).
It also represents tragedy, anger (seeing red), shame (scarlet
woman), courage, bravery, battle, strength, passion, love, guilt (red-handed). By association
with blood and fire, red symbolizes heat, war, hate, cruelty, power, destruction (Japan),
danger, anarchy, revolution. Red is used by the Chinese in connection with marriage. In
England, it is the colour of the Royal Family. Red stone was always used by the American
Indian for his calumet. Pink is associated with beauty, tenderness and femininity.
Orange – Autumn
Orange symbolizes rich harvests, plenty, abundance and completeness of life. Because it is
the colour of flame, it signifies also light and heat.
Yellow - Fire and Sunlight
Warmth, light, sun, marriage, fruitfulness (India), gaudiness, gaiety, luster, enlivenment and
glory (divine) are all included in the symbolic use of yellow. It is the royal colour of the
Ch’ing dynasty of China, the colour sacred to Brahma, Confucius and Buddha.
Further meanings are derived from the colour of gold - glory, power, wealth and greed; from
the yellow robes of Athena, wisdom; from the treachery of Judas - portrayed by early artists
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as wearing a dull yellow robe - deceit, cowardice, inconstancy. In France in the tenth
Century, the doors of the houses of criminals were painted yellow. Saffron robes were used
by confessors in the church. From the association with cowardice, we use the expressions:
“He’s yellow”; “he shows a yellow streak”. To indicate indecency, we speak of “yellow
journalism”. From the association with sickness and disease, we use a yellow flag for
quarantine.
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Brown - Rocks, Trees, Earth, etc.
Solidity, strength, vigor, maturity and concentration (brown study) are symbolized by brown.
It is, besides, a colour of penitence in the church.
Green - Grass, Foliage of Springtime, etc.
Youth, freshness, life, adolescence, growth, cheerfulness, hope, plenty, immortality (Egypt),
faith, contemplation, memory, baptism (pale green), immaturity and inexperience
(greenhorn). It is used by the church from Trinity to Advent Sunday. In early history in
some instances green was considered a sacred colour (Druids of England). A Mohammedan
wears green on his turban when he has made the pilgrimage to Mecca. It is the colour of
Ireland (shamrock), the colour of victory (palm branch), the colour of peace (olive branch),
the colour of Neptune (green sea). It is also the royal colour of the Ming dynasty. Green is
sometimes associated with jealousy (the green-eyed monster).
Blue – Sky
Serenity (bluebird of happiness), loyalty (true blue), courage, fidelity, constancy, sincerity,
piety, love of good works, hope, heaven, dignity, truth, generosity, divinity, peace, Christian
prudence, sedateness, intelligence, aristocracy (blue blood), melancholy (feeling blue, blues
singer). To the Cherokee Indian, it is the sign of tribulation and in Mexico it is the colour of
mourning.
Purple and Violet
Probably because of its costliness, purple in early history was used only by royalty or the
state. It was used by Roman Emperors (personification of Jupiter). It signifies secrets,
dignity of justice, mysteries, heroic virtue. Purple is the colour of penitence in the church in
connection with the saints, Advent, Lent, etc.
White - Snow, etc.
In the church, white has long been used in connection with festivals of angels, the Virgin
Mary, Christ, the saints and also with matrimonial ceremonies.
It symbolizes purity,
simplicity, the uncontaminated, the untouched, the unadulterated, innocence, truth, chastity,
modesty, light, liveliness (without gaiety). The Chinese use it for mourning. Purity (lily),
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peace (dove), outward purity only (whitewash), surrender and humility (white flag), timidity
(white feather), untried manhood (white shield), the delicate (white skin), the feminine, are
all symbolized by white.
Black - Absence of Light
Associated with darkness, fear, gloom, terror, dread, death, mourning, woe, wickedness,
crime, evil, horror, as indicated in expressions such as: “black sheep”, “black tidings”, “black
soul”, “black looks”, “black art” - a term applied to witchcraft, secret wisdom, diabolical
power; “black flag” to piracy and lawlessness. In the church, black is a symbol associated
with Good Friday, funerals and memorial services. In combination, black and white signify
humility, melancholy, resolution, solemnity, prudence and secrecy.
Grey
Grey, having the attributes of black and white, at times denotes tribulation, penance, humility,
age, matured judgment, sadness, quietude, dreariness, fear, solitude, death, sobriety and
depression.
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