Blue

I spent 2017’s JTerm swimming through color history, theory, philosophy, poetry, and prose in search of a better understanding of blue’s significance in culture, art, and in my own life. I read and wrote about blue, and I... [ view full abstract ]

I spent 2017’s JTerm swimming through color history, theory, philosophy, poetry, and prose in search of a better understanding of blue’s significance in culture, art, and in my own life. I read and wrote about blue, and I ground blue pigments with a local artist who gave me her perspective. I used human perception of color and delved into the lapis lazuli trade that controlled the distribution of blue pigments starting in the Middle Ages. In looking at 500 year old paintings, I found the blue worlds in the background resemble the human longing for things out of reach. Although we see our oceans and sky as blue, very little blue exists in material forms on earth. These shades, tints, and tones of blue frame perspective, virtue, and emotion, and they fit into human lives in various intriguing ways.