 |
|
"Purple is the Color of Kings ..."
The color purple sits on the Color Wheel between red and blue, and it comes in warm, reddish, more ‘passionate’ hues and in cooler, complex plum and indigo ones.
The psychological effects of the color purple will depend very much on how 'warm' or 'cool' the hue is:
- Bluish purples can be serene and calming and have a ‘mysterious’ depth.
- Reddish purples demand more attention and can dominate a room (and are always in danger of looking garish or cheap).
Some of the psychological effects of the color purple may have to do with its history. In the West, purple color has a long-standing reputation as the color of royalty and power.
For centuries, the intended psychological effect of the color purple was to show that the wearer was a VIP. The Roman emperor Julius Caesar (100BC-44BC) was so taken with the color that he decided he alone was allowed to wear it.
The tradition of reserving the color purple for members of the ruling class started in Biblical times, in countries around the Mediterranean Sea. It is partly due to the fact that purple color was so expensive that only very rich people could afford it.
Purple color was originally ‘harvested’ at the coast, from the glands of the murex shellfish (and yes, the animals did die in the process). Much later, in 1856, a young Brit invented the first synthetic (aniline) dye, and started producing the color purple on a grand scale.
His discovery sparked an international craze in dress and interior design. Everyone and their dog - and their curtains! - wanted to be seen in ‘mauve’. The color purple had suddenly become democratic.
Apart from being fashionable, purple color was also worn in England as a color of mourning until the mid-20th century.
To this day, the color purple plays an important part in the Catholic Church. It is the color of penance and martyrdom, and during the Passion of Christ, all crucifixes are covered in purple cloth.
Painters have often used purple color for the dress of the Virgin Mary (the ‘Queen of Heaven’), and Cardinals wear a reddish hue of purple as a sign of their office.
There's more to tell but I'll stop here before I get completely carried away. You don't need loads of information to enjoy the psychological effects of the color purple.
Purple is a rich, deeply satisfying, complex color that can add real luxury to a room. You don’t have to be a VIP these days to surround yourself with purple color - but maybe you’ll feel like one if you do.
For information on the effects of other colors, please click any of the following links:
White, Gray, Black, Brown
Yellow, Orange, Red, Pink
Blue, Green
Click here for some general information about Color Psychology.
Return from the Psychological Effects of the Color Purple to Room Color Schemes.
Return to Dream Home Decorating Homepage
