By Masha Rumyantseva
What do you think is the colour most likely to be chosen as a favourite by both men and women? Blue. The universal colour for peace, stability and wisdom, being around the colour blue has proven to reduce the human heart rate and lower blood pressure, calming the mind. Blue increases the concentration of dopamine in the brain more than any other colour, but is also associated with loneliness and sadness.
Blue pigments are particularly hard to find in nature, so it is no surprise that it was the last colour to be named in many languages. In ancient Greece, poets described the sea as ‘the colour of wine’, or green and brown. In Spanish and in Russian, there are separate words for light blue (celeste; голубой) and dark blue (azul; синий). However, other languages such as Japanese and Lakota Sioux, use the same word to describe both blue and green.
The earliest records of the ancient world show that lapis lazuli was mined as early as the 7th millennium BC, in the Sar-i-Sang mines in Shortugai, Afghanistan. Lapis was used in the funeral mask of Tutankhamen, which can now be seen in the Egyptian museum in Cairo. Creating blue shades in pottery posed a challenge as early blue pigments were not thermally robust. However, around 2500 BC, the Egyptians discovered a method to create a blue glaze, and thus Egyptian blue was introduced for ceramics. When the Romans got ahold of their blue pigment, they created frescos in Pompeii and decorated churches throughout the Byzantine Empire, many of which still stand today.
After limited use during the Middle Ages, blue regained popularity during the Renaissance. Lapis lazuli was crushed into a fine powder to create ultramarine, which became the most valuable and prestigious colour in this era, being even more expensive than gold.
Industrial manufacture of fine blue and white pottery started in China during the 14th century, using imported cobalt blue from Persia. First commissioned by the Emperor of China, it gained popularity on an international level and was imported to a variety of countries. Delft, a Dutch craftsman, adapted the technique to create delftware, which was in great demand in Europe due to the popularity of Chinese porcelain.
In the early 19th century, blue jeans were invented by Jacob W. Davis. He strengthened blue denim with metal rivets to create a uniform for workers in the California gold fields. Levi Strauss funded the invention and helped it gain popularity all over the world.
The colour blue also has a religious significance. In Christianity, the Virgin Mary has always traditionally worn blue robes. This was due to Pope Gregory I, who wanted religious figures to be recognisable so that the public would be able to interpret the stories of religious paintings easily. The shade of blue used was ultramarine, the most valuable at the time, to signify her importance as Jesus’ mother.
Blue is also a significant colour in Hinduism. Several gods are depicted with blue skin, in particular those associated with Vishnu, who is connected to water. Two of these are Krishna and Rama, Vishnu’s avatars. Shiva, the god of destruction, has light-blue skin, called ‘Neela kantha’, as he ingested poison to save the universe during Samudra Manthana. The fifth chakra, Vishuddha, is also symbolically represented by the colour blue.