REMARKS ON COLORS : BLUE

| March 22nd, 2010

BLUE may be seen most abundantly in the sky, on the water [the reflected sky], and with moonlight [also reflected].  We also find it in certain animals, minerals, and vegetables, but in a more fragmentary fashion, an accent among the prevailing browns, golds, and greens.  Accordingly, blue carries strong associations with otherworldliness and with distance.  Leonardo da Vinci noted that objects gain a bluish aspect as they recede to the horizon.  Who has not regarded distant blue hills without a stab of longing?

Vishnu, the Hindu deity who preserves the world, is frequently depicted with blue-tinted skin to connote his deep relation to water, as is Krishna, his avatar.  The Virgin Mary has come to be identified by blue robes; although her connection with the color is relatively recent, it follows the metaphoric logic of the hue. //


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