Pastel Journal - USA (2019-05)

Color Decoder

M

y motherwarnedmeto avoid

thingscoloredred,”said

AmericansculptorClaes

Oldenburg(b.1929).Redhasa long

historyasa symboliccolor,and its

meaningsvarybyculture.Inthe East,

it canmeangoodluck,happiness and

prosperity;intheWest,it cansymbol-

izeloveandpassion,aswellas anger

andmalice.Redmeansdanger, red

meanslove.It’sironicthata single

colorcandenotesuchopposing con-

cepts.Forthepainter,redisfull of

energyandheat—anda littlecan go

a longway.

TheBeautyofRed

Redlivesatoneendofthevisible

electromagneticspectrumbetween

625 and 740 nanometers.Ifyou look

ata rainbowora spectrumcast by

a prism,you’llseethatredseems to

fadeandeventuallyvanish;however,

it actuallymergeswiththeinvisible

infrared.Thinkofheatlamps, which

emitbothredandinfrared,and you’ll

understandwhywethinkofred as a

hotcolor.

Forthepainter,ofcourse,red sits

betweenorangeandvioletonthe

colorwheel.A primarycolor,it can’t

ANDREW W. MELLON COLLECTION/NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART

In Girl With the Red Hat

(c 1665/1666; oil on panel, 9x71⁄16),

by Johannes Vermeer (Dutch,

1632–1675), the artist used cool

reds in the form shadow of the

hat to contrast with its hot reds,

making them seem even more

rich and vibrant.

Code Red

Learn all about red—and how to use this fiery

color to express a mood and impact other colors.

By Michael Chesley Johnson

18 Pastel Journal JUNE 2019