The color is associated with sunshine, knowledge, autumn, maturity and flourishing living creatures. The Greeks worshiped the sun god, Helios who wore yellow robes and drove a golden chariot. The Chinese attribute yellow to the active and flourishing male while the ancient Egyptians ascribed it to the female. All of this attribution denotes sensuality and power, colors I normally associate with red. Hmmm.
The Yellow Cow by Franz Marc
Americans have always attributed the term "yellow" to fear and cowardice.
"Yellow" journalism is sensationalism and muck raking. Yellow is the color of
jaundice and caution and aging but it also represents happiness, warmth, summer.
Yellow is the wedding color for people in Egypt, Russia, the Orient and some Balkan countries. In other countries, it is the color of bad fortune.
Yellow ochre is the oldest yellow pigment, dating back to pre-historic times. A mineral known as Orpiment or arsenic trisulfide, is better known as King's yellow. It was used until the 19th century when it was replaced by Cadmium yellow.
Indian yellow is a transparent, fluorescent pigment used in oil paintings and water colors. It was believed to have been made from the urine of cows fed only on mango leaves and water but there is no scientific proof of this.
Chrome yellow, Naples yellow and Lead tin yellow were all eventually replaced because of high toxicity in the paints. As a result, today's yellows are made from synthetic pigments.
Pigments through the Ages
"Yellow was Vincent Van Gogh’s favorite color. He preferred yellow ochre in the beginning of his career, adding the newly discovered pigments cadmium yellow and chrome yellow later on.
Wheat Field with Crows by Vincent Van Gogh
He transformed the light in his landscapes into pure color. Light signified to him the Sun of the South, lightness of spirit in addition to friendship and love. Van Gogh used yellow in context with its complementary color - blue. He saw power and the entirety of life in the combination of both colors . Yellow of Van Gogh mirrors his quest for cheerful and lighthearted life which he was never able to live and also expresses the creative energy innate in this artist. "
The Garden of Earthly Delights
Hieronymus Bosch
Besides the naked folk, I find my eye going to the pretty yellow bird with orange head and white breast. The upper right corner makes me think of wheat fields and the bird with a bright blue back has some lovely yellow detail. Note the yellow feather detail in the lower right corner as well.
A gorgeous painting of the finest fruit, vegetables and flowers, not to mention the squirrel. My eyes, however, are immediately drawn to the yellow apples (or pears).
Fruits and Vegetables, Roses in
a Glass Vase and a Squirrel
by Peter Binoit
