Colour theories & application: Middle Ages & Renaissance

1. Colour theories & application: Middle Ages & Renaissance

2. The Middle Ages The decline of the Roman Empire (476AD) marked the end of the Classical Antiquity period & the beginning of the Middle Ages in the Western world. The Early Middle Ages period is also referred to as the Dark Ages – a period that witnessed a decrease in trade and travel due to the decline in control & authority of the Roman Empire.

3. Colour & the Muslim world The Dark Ages: characterised by reduced economic & cultural output. However, this was not reflected in the empires of the East and this period witnessed the rise of the Byzantine Empire & the rise of Islam Alhazen (965-1040) • Persian polymath Alhazen (Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Haytham) An important but somewhat lesser known theorist whose writings pre-dated those of key colour theorists (including Newton and Goethe). • Wrote Kitab al-Manazir (The Book of Optics) from 1011 -1021. This seven volume treatise was translated into Latin in the 13th century and it has been suggested that Book of Optics “must rank alongside Newton’s Principia Mathematica as one of the most influential books ever written on physics” (Salih, Al-Amri, & El Gomati, 2005, p4).

4. Colour & the Muslim world Colour came to be used symbolically in the Muslim world during the Middle Ages: Islamic Green: came to symbolise Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (570-632); also represents paradise (derived from ancient Persian: garden/oasis; the Garden of Eden, heaven) and features in the flags of many Islamic countries including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Libya and Saudi Arabia. Red is also a key symbolic colour in the Muslim world and is associated with sacrifice, valour and martyrdom. White represents honesty, peace and purity. Yellow was the flag colour of the Ayyubid Dynasty, a key dynasty that championed the Muslim cause during the Crusades (1171-1341).

5. Islamic Green: (0-153-0) Ayyubid Yellow (255-205-0) Red (204-0-0) Colour & the Muslim world Islamic green, Ayyubid yellow and red feature in the 1954 painting by Said Tahsine (1904-1985) that depicts the meeting between Saladin and and Guy de Lusignan after battle of Hattin in 1187. Saladin, a Kurdish Muslim of the Ayyubid Dynasty whose recapture of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade (1189-1192), led the Muslim opposition to the Crusaders. (Image: http://www.discover-syria.com/photo/11177/).

6. Colour & the Muslim world • Since the time of the Crusades, the Persian Haft Rangor ‘Seven Colours of Heaven’ evolved as the traditional palette throughout Eastern Islam. • During the 14th and 15th centuries these colours were fired into ceramics which were then used to adorn many important Islamic mosques in Esfahân, Samarkand, Herât and Mazâr-e Sharif. • The number seven corresponded to the sanctified Seven Heavenly Bodies: the Sun, Moon, Saturn, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Venus, and the seven colours are: Yellow or golden-brown Turquoise White Black Green Red Night-blue (azure) (Barry, 1996).

7. Colour & the Muslim world • A key example is the Blue Mosque at Mazâr-e Sharif. The mosaic ceramic tiles that cover the mosque feature two dominant blues: turquoise and “night-blue”. • These two blues predominate but are interspersed with mosaics in white, black, green, yellow and red – the Persian Haft Rang

8. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century) Back in the Western world, during the later Middle Ages debate about the existence of ‘primary’ colours continued as did the notion of colour correspondences. The availability of a larger range of pigments grew along with increases in trade.

9. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century)

10. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century)

11. Heraldry & the Crusades (c 5th to 16th century) The use of symbols coupled with simple emblems were used to indicate membership of a particular cultural/sub-cultural group - Heraldry • Strongly evident during the Crusades (1095 – 1291) the objective of which were to wrest control of the Holy Land from Muslim rule. • Crusader groups included Knights (warrior class of Medieval Europe) and various representatives of Christian nations of Western Europe

12. Heraldry & the Crusades (c 5th to 16th century) The Pope determined that each Crusader group should be distinguished by different coloured symbols: • England claimed the red cross on a white background • France employed golden fleur-de-lys on a blue background • Scotland claimed St Andrew’s Cross (or Saltire): a white cross on an azure blue field.

13. Heraldry & the Crusades (c 5th to 16th century) There were more than nine Crusades over a 200-year period (1095-1291) Various sub-groups formed, each with their own heraldic emblems: • The Knights Hospitaller used a black Maltese Cross on white • The Knights Templar used a red cross on a white • The Teutonic Knights, a black cross on a shield • Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem used a green cross on white 11th century Bayeux Tapestry 15th century German roll of heraldic symbols

14. Colour & the invention of tradition The coloured emblems of the Crusaders engendered traditions that involved the use of coloured emblems as key signifiers. • The tri-colour flag of the first French Republic introducedby Napoleon Bonaparte (1804) • The coloured emblems of the Confederates and Republicans armies of the American Civil War (1861-1865) The use of coloured visual symbols represents the invention of national and cultural traditions and has also become integral to the development of identity and logo design in the corporate world (Olins, 1989).

15. Contemporary “Crusaders”

16. Colour used as a group identifier

17. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century) During this period, the influence of the Church in the Western world extended to art, design, architecture as well as the use & application of colour. Christianity: • Official religion of the Roman empire from 380AD • Expanded & exerted its influence throughout Europe Use of colour: • Heavily influenced by Church’s power & hierarchy • Costly pigments were reserved for religious images & key figures: Popes, Church hierarchy, Nobility & wealthy

18. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century) Doge Agostino Barbarigo kneeling before the Virgin and Child (1488) by Giovanni Bellini’s (1430-1516) illustrates this very specific use of colour. • Ultramarine blue used in the Virgin’s mantle & Saint Mark’s robe; • Vermilion is used as a striking backdrop and in Saint Mark’s shirt; • Verdigris green features in the landscape as well as the centrally-located panel behind the Virgin – increasing the redness of the vermilion • Golden-brown colour of the Doges’ robes (orpiment or ochre) provides a strong visual contrast to the ultramarine blue.

19. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century) Colour correspondences: Theon of Smyrna (c70-135AD) identified four primary colours and linked these to the elements, shapes & the Seasons as follows, Red – fire, pyramid, Spring Blue – air, octahedron, Summer Green – water, icosahedron, Autumn Yellow – earth, cube, Winter

20. Middle Ages & Pre-Renaissance (5th -16th century) Nicoletto Rosex (c1480-1538) equivalents: colour, form, seasons, elements

21. Colour & form equivalents – the Bauhaus Bauhaus School Itten’s colour-form equivalents: Red square Yellow triangle Blue circle Green spherical triangle Violet oval Orange trapezoid

22. Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) Da Vinci: Noticed that contrasting colours (hues & tones) intensify each other when placed side-by-side; used this technique to great effect in his paintings. Da Vinci also used Sfumato (from the Latin word for smoke) A painterly technique used to create the perception of depth, volume & form. Translucent layers are built up using tiny dots of paint; avoids the use of lines or outlined borders. Mona Lisa (left) & Virgin on the Rocks (right)

23. Sfumato: Contemporary applications

24. Caravaggio (1571-1610) Limited palette of pigments prompted the use of techniques like sfumato & chiaroscuro to create focus, depth & atmosphere. Caravaggio used chiaroscuro in his paintings (chiaroscuro: light, dark) • The use of strong light/dark contrast used to create focus & atmosphere. The taking of Christ (left) & The calling of St Matthew (right)

25. Chiaroscuro – contemporary examples Strong shafts or areas of light used to create focus & atmosphere

26. Chiaroscuro – graphic design

27. Chiaroscuro – interior design examples

28. Chiaroscuro – interior/exterior lighting

29. Chiaroscuro – theatre & installation design

30. Which of the following notions are evident in current TV programs? Plato: Theory of Ideal forms: Beauty, Order, etc Heraclitus: Opposing forces & the balancing of opposites Pythagoras: Universe: underpinned by mathematical proportion Strong light-dark contrast (balancing of opposing forces) (Chiaroscuro and sfumato)

31. Plato: Theory of Ideal forms: Beauty, Order, etc: Top Model, Baywatch, etc Heraclitus: Opposing forces & the balancing of opposites: Supernatural Pythagoras: Universe: underpinned by mathematical proportion: Numbers Strong light-dark contrast (balancing of opposing forces): Supernatural (Chiaroscuro and sfumato)

32. References Barry, M. (1996). Colour and symbolism in Islamic architecture. London: Thames & Hudson. Bayer, H., Gropius, W., & Gropius, I. (Eds.). (1975). Bauhaus 1919 - 1928. London: Secker & Warburg Nicoletto Rosex (c1480-1538) equivalents: colour, form, seasons, elements Olins, W. (1989). Corporate identity: Making business strategy visible through design. New York: Thames & Hudson. Itten, J. (1963). Design and form: The basic course at the Bauhaus and later (Revised edition, 1975). New York: John Wiley & Sons. Wolfe, T. (1982). From Bauhaus to our house. London: Jonathon Cape

33. Websites A&BC. (2005). Argyll and Bute Local Plan: Conservation, Character Appraisal and Key Environmental Features for Tobermory. Retrieved 20 April 2007, from http://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/localplans Adobe. (2011). Adobe Photoshop CS5 - Overview. Retrieved 9 May 2011, from http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html Aristotle. (335). Poetics. Section 1450b Retrieved 23 April 2010, fromhttp://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0056 Barragan, L. (1980). Acceptance speech, Pritzker Architecture Prize. Retrieved 20 April 2007, from http://www.pritzkerprize.com/barragan.htm CAUS. (2009). Color Association of the United States. Retrieved 30 November 2009, from http://www.colorassociation.com/ CIE. (2008). CIE 1931 XYZ colour space. Retrieved 14 July 2008, from Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage http://www.cie.co.at/ Colourways. (2011). Colourways - Overview. Retrieved 9 May 2011, from http://www.colourways.com.au/pdf/Colourways%20Overview.pdf Cullachange. (2011). Cullachange - Colour charts. Retrieved 9 May 2011, from http://www.cullachange.com.au/colour-charts.html Dailyicon. (2009). Nestle Laboratory by Rojkind Arquitectos. Retrieved 25 March 2010, from http://www.dailyicon.net/2009/04/nestle-laboratory EFCD. (2011). Eva Fay Colour Design Retrieved 9 May 2011, from http://www.efcd.com.au/index.html EurekaVideo. (2010). Metropolis (A film by Fritz Lang, Germany, 1927; Reconstructed & restored 2010). Retrieved 23 June 2011, from http://metropolis1927.com/#home Funny Wildlife. (2012). Funny Wildlife Sleeping Animals. Retrieved on 28 November 2012 from http://www.funnywildlife.com/funny-sleeping-animals.html Frampton, K. (2002). The architecture of Glenn Murcutt. Pritzker Architecture Prize 2002 Essay Retrieved 10 March 2009, from http://www.pritzkerprize.com/laureates/2002/essay.html HSA. (2010). North Apartments - Project description. Retrieved 3 November 2010, from http://www.seidler.net.au/ ISO. (2011). ISO 15076 - Image technology colour management. Retrieved 10 May 2011, from http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=54754 JVA. (2010). Jarmund Vigsnaes Projects - The Red House. Retrieved 25 March 2010, from http://www.jva.no/ Metrolic. (2012). Metrolic – Brothes Into Sleep. Retrieved 27 November 2011, from http://www.metrolic.com Morovic, J., & Morovic, P. (2003). Determining colour gamuts of digital cameras and scanners. Color Research and Application, 28(1), 59-68. Munsell. (2003). Munsell: The universal language of color. Retrieved October 2003, from http:/www.gretamacbeth.com/Source/Solutions/munsell/index.asp

34. Websites Munsell. (2011). Munsell: Products and services. Retrieved 10 May 2011, from http://www.munsellstore.com/default.aspx?menuitemid=476 Munsell, A. H. (1921). A grammar of color. Retrieved 20 October 2003, from http:/www.gretamacbeth.com/Source/Solutions/munsell/index.asp Newton, I. (1704). Opticks: A treatise of the reflections, refractions, inflections and colours of light (4th ed.). Retrieved 30 March 2010, from http://books.google.com/books?id=GnAFAAAAQAAJ OFA. (2011). Organic Federation of Australia - webpage. Retrieved 28 March 2011, from http://www.ofa.org.au/ MCSL. (2011). Munsell Color Science Laboratory. Retrieved 10 May 2011, from http://www.cis.rit.edu/mcsl/ NASAA. (2011). Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA) - webpage. Retrieved 28 March 2011, from http://www.nasaa.com.au/ NCS. (2009). The Natural Color System (NCS). Retrieved 14 July 2009, from http://www.ncscolour.com/ NCS. (2011). NCS Notation and colour space. Retrieved 10 May 2011, from http://www.ncscolour.com/en/rm/about-us/colour-knowledge/how-ncs-works/ncs-notation/ NHPL. (2011). NHPL Colour Pty Ltd - Calibrated digital capture of colour Retrieved 9 May 2011, from http://www.nhplcolour.com/digitalcolour.html Pantone. (2011). Pantone - Products and services. Retrieved 10 May 2011, from http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/index.aspx Rorke, M. H. (1931). The work of the Textile Color Card Association. Journal of the Optical Society of America, 21(10), 651-653. Schroeder, M. D. (1997). JPEG compression algorithm and associated data structures. <http://people.cs.und.edu/~mschroed/index.html>. Retrieved September 2003SLA. (2011). Sustainable Living Association - webpage. Retrieved 28 March 2011, from http://www.sustainableliving.org.au/home Shocking Newz. (2012). Shocking Newz. Retrieved on 28 November 2012 from http://shockingnewz.com/animals-sleeping-with-funny-styles.html Travel Photo. (2012). Travel Photo Animals. Retrieved on 28 November 2012 from http://www.travelphoto.net/a-photo-a-day/wordpress/category/photos-by-subject/animals/

35. Websites UNESCO. (1987). Venice and its lagoon (Reference 394). Retrieved 27 April 2010, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394 UNESCO. (1994). World Heritage Site 712: City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto. Retrieved 1 February 2011, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/712 Vargas, J. A. (2010). The face of Facebook - The New Yorker, 20 September 2010. Retrieved 23 March 2011, from http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/09/20/100920fa_fact_vargas?currentPage=all Wall Paper Us. (2012). Wall Paper Us Animals Rocks Fennec Sleeping. Retrieved on 28 November 2012 from http://wallpapersus.com/animals-rocks-fennec-sleeping/ WallpapersWa. (2012). WallpapersWa Animals Sleeping Polar Bears Sunbathing. Retrieved on 28 November 2012 from http://wallpaperswa.com/Animals/Bears/animals_ sleeping_polar_bears_sunbathing_1920x1080_wallpaper_36045 Zuza Fun. (2012). Zuza Fun Sleeping Animals. Retrieved on 28 November 2012 from http://www.zuzafun.com/sleeping-animals Other images: Wiki Commons and Public Domain