Pondering the Pigments
Many species on the planet enjoy the privilege of seeing in color. Color perception is a product of specialized
cells within the retina, factored with a psychological interpretation of
differing wavelengths of light.
Although color adds spectacle and information to the surrounding
environment, the purpose of color vision is hard to pin down in the context of
human evolution. Colors may serve as
symbols for something else, and each color may send a unique or universal
message. Consider the colors blue and
orange, and how different they are in recipe and meaning.
Blue is a primary color since it is impossible to mix any other
pigments to end up with the color blue.
Scientifically, violet (a dense wave) begins the spectrum with the
distance between its wave peaks at about 350 nanometers. Blue is not far away, with a distance
between the crests of approximately 430 nanometers. If one wished to assign a sound to blue, it would most likely
resonate on a natural note of C, E, or G because blue is
primary and pure. Psychologically,
universal perceptions of blue align it with the concept of “trustworthy”,
linking it with phrases such as “true blue”.
In almost every situation, the color blue is appropriate, lending itself
well to clothing, uniforms, flags, and interior design. Blue’s friendly quality is tranquil and
soothing, but sometimes blue transcends calm and may enter into
depression. Artists are keen to this
shade of blue, expressing it by “singing the blues”. Similarly, Picasso had a long-term artistic phase of depression
known as his Blue Period. The many
shades of blue are easy to understand and explain because descriptions of the
shades such as “powder-blue”, “navy blue”, or even “blue-green” always include
the root word – blue.
The fundamental qualities of the color orange position themselves in an
opposite corner from the color blue.
Mixing equal amounts of the primary colors red and yellow results in
orange; for this reason, orange is a secondary color. With a measurement near 675 nanometers between the signal peaks,
orange finds itself nearer the longer wavelengths of the visible color
spectrum, away from blue. Even if it is
subjective to assign a sound to a color, the sound of orange differs from the sound
of blue, as it is high-pitched and sharp, like the tangy reverberation of
F-sharp above middle C. Cognitively,
orange is not trustworthy; rather, it is a color of warning. Nature makes frequent use of orange by
coloring harmful insects and reptiles, telling us “Stay away!” Society
mimics nature, and adopts orange to warn us of detours and construction
zones. We depend on orange for the
color of prison jumpsuits; however, a badly chosen orange leisure suit or
tuxedo is inappropriate and horrifying.
Unlike calming blue, orange is ebullient, fast, and manic. Although a beautiful orange sunset may leave
us slack-jawed, a little bit of orange goes a long way; consequently, orange is
best enjoyed in fleeting, natural doses.
Orally defining different shades of orange is more difficult since the
word root “orange” may no longer apply.
For instance, a more accurate description of “very dark orange” is
“rust”; also, “peach” typically defines “very light orange”. In contrast to mingling blue, orange is vocally
autonomous.
The different traits of the colors blue and orange are notable. Yet, these colors and their neighbors make the spectrum complete, ensuring a delightful visual exposition of the world around us!