Introduction: Color and History

1 Invisible color
2 new colors
3 godly colors
4 Most Loved Colors

Conclusion: Blue Today: A Neutral Color?

Translator's Note
References
Americas

Hundreds of reference books, hundreds of illustrations…
A history of blue, completed by meticulously examining diverse historical materials and records.
“How did blue become so loved by everyone?”

Blue was not considered very important to ancient people.
To the Romans, it was considered the color of the barbarians, that is, an unpleasant and insignificant color.
But today, blue is considered everyone's favorite color.
Over time, the values ​​of color have completely changed.


『The History of Blue』 focuses on this reversal.
First, let's look at the indifference toward blue that appeared in ancient and early medieval societies.
And we will examine the process by which blue tones gradually increased in all fields since the Middle Ages and finally achieved appreciation in value, focusing especially on clothing and daily life.
We will also take a closer look at the various issues surrounding blue that emerged up until the Romantic era.
Finally, we will focus on the triumph of blue in modern society, examine the use and meaning of this color in its entirety, and consider its future.
(From the text)

Blue is the most loved color today, not only in Europe but also around the world.
We can ask at least two questions about this all-encompassing 'blue preference' trend.
About 'why' and 'when' this phenomenon began to sprout.
Looking across thousands of years of human history, these two questions, like two sides of a coin, touch on a multifaceted range of issues in society, religion, art, and virtually every other field.

Author Michel Pastourot, a leading expert on medieval heraldry and Western symbolism, posits that color has historically experienced "three major turning points" in the West, based on years of research and a thorough review of various reference materials.
The first turning point was the beginning of the medieval feudal era, when the three-color system of white, red, and black that had been maintained since prehistoric times disappeared and a six-color system of white, black, red, blue, green, and yellow was established.
Until ancient times, blue was not only not given much attention as an 'invisible color', but was also considered taboo, especially by the Romans, as the 'color of barbarians' and the 'color of death'.
Therefore, the Romans did not even create a precise word for the color blue, and they rarely used or mentioned blue in their art, clothing, or daily life.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Middle Ages, blue meets an unexpected fate.
The new kingdoms, such as the Germanic and Celt tribes that were now ruling Europe, favored blue as much as the red that had been revered in ancient Rome, and its value even rose to a remarkable level when it began to be used as a color representing the Virgin Mary and the emperor.


The second period is the late Middle Ages and early modern period, when the absolute values ​​that had supported white and black began to crack due to the spread of printing and the Reformation.
During this time, blue (like other colors) faces various challenges as it goes through significant historical events such as the Reformation.
Even in the midst of drastic changes in politics, economy, and society, as well as in religion, blue was recognized as a color similar to black, signifying piety and frugality, and was treated with tolerance.
Finally, the third turning point was the Industrial Revolution, when Newton systematically studied color through the spectral method and technological advances in dyeing and pigments were made thanks to groundbreaking scientific developments.
In addition, at this time, a literary movement called Romanticism gained popularity in Europe, and great changes occurred in the realm of sensibility.
Now blue is no longer the color of barbarians, nor the exclusive property of the church or the court, but the color of the nation-state and its citizens, of 'Werther' and 'The Blue Flower'.
Moreover, starting in the 20th century, blue became the color that signified 'blues' and 'jeans', youth and freedom, and was even accepted as the color of the United Nations (UN) and the Earth we live on.

"The History of Blue" examines historically how the "ugly" color blue, which received little attention in ancient times and was not even considered the color of water and the sky (which is taken for granted today), became the most beloved color for modern people, and provides insight into the emotions and meanings expressed by the color blue.
In addition, the author explores the future meaning of blue for humanity and how it will change, and also discusses the future of color and our attitude toward it.


The secret and great history of color as seen through the amazing transformation of blue.
“Color is not as natural a phenomenon as we think!”

Color is not as natural a phenomenon as we think.
Rather, it is a complex cultural structure that does not fit into any general trends or analyses.
Therefore, color poses diverse and difficult problems.
Perhaps this is why studies on color are rare, and even rarer are those who attempt to conduct careful and valid research from a historical perspective.
Rather, most writers have tried to find so-called universal or fundamental truths about color.
But from a historian's perspective, such truths do not exist.
Color is, above all, a social phenomenon.
There is no truth about color that transcends culture.
Nonetheless, some studies attempt to present this logic by citing poorly thought-out neurophysiological knowledge or, worse, cheap and obscure psychology.
Unfortunately, these books fill the bibliography for understanding color.
(From the text)

Author Michel Pastoureau was the first to recognize that the history of color is intertwined with a wide range of fields, from art to clothing, daily life, administrative regulations, scientific research, and even the interpretation of religious doctrines.
However, from ancient times to the present, most color studies have been personal or fixated on the sensibilities of a particular era.
Therefore, before studying the 'evolution of blue' (which all modern people love), he had to present a new methodology that could properly look into the 'history of color', and 'The History of Blue' is the result of that.
This book, breaking free from the limitations of existing research, is the first to meticulously and diachronically trace how a single color is imprinted on human consciousness.


Over the past several thousand years, blue has undergone several dramatic reversals to reach its current state.
It may seem that certain historical events, such as the fall of the Roman Empire, the beginning of the Middle Ages, the Reformation, and the French Revolution, were merely mechanical factors in the transformation of blue, once the most humble of colors, into a color beloved by all. However, the 'history of color' encompasses and transcends all such events.
Blue, the color, is closely linked to contemporary values, religious views, and popular tastes, as well as to advances in science and technology, transformations in socioeconomic structures, and the emergence of new literary trends.
So, when examining the discovery of the New World or important wars, reforms, and revolutions in history, we can never overlook the existence and role of color.
"How did blue become so beloved by everyone?" This seemingly simple question may be the most concrete and crucial question that allows us to look at "color" and "human history" from a new perspective.
Because color is a social phenomenon and, above all, human beings themselves.

Ultimately, 『The History of Blue』 is a book that examines the history of human civilization from ancient times to the 20th century through the color blue, and it is also a book that examines what has been repeated and changed among the meanings and value systems of colors encountered in modern cultural experiences.