Turmeric powder is used as a dye for Buddhist robes, particularly when saffron isn’t available.
(Photo:Stock Photosfrom tarapong srichaiyos/Shutterstock)
Orange is a color that provokes an immediate reaction.
What is it about the color orange that makes it so effective?
Turmeric powder is used as a dye for Buddhist robes, particularly when saffron isn’t available. (Photo:Stock Photosfrom tarapong srichaiyos/Shutterstock)
In some cultures, its considered a sacred hue, while in others, its a symbol of royalty.
Since ancient timeslong before it was called orangethis color has had a strong impact.
The ancient Egyptians used a yellow-orange hue made from the mineralrealgarin their tomb paintings.
Orpiment (Photo: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin [CC BY-SA 3.0],via Wikimedia Commons)
Another related mineral,orpiment, was also used to make pigments.
Just as toxic as realgar, it was also a highly prized trade item in Ancient Rome.
Prior to that time it was simply calledyellow-red.
Saffron (Photo:Stock Photosfrom elena moiseeva/Shutterstock)
This changed when orange trees were brought to Europe from Asia by Portuguese merchants.
The color was then named after the ripe fruit, which carries through many different languages.
Orange in English,naranjain Spanish,aranciain Italian, andlaranjain Portuguese.
(Photo:Stock Photosfrom Loredana Bitculescu/Shutterstock)
The hue is quite prominent in Asian religions, and many monks and holy men wear orange robes.
In Confucianism, orange is the color of transformation.
Symbolically its connected to perfection and the highest state of illumination.
“Flaming June” by Sir Frederic Leighton, 1895 (Photo: Public domain viaWikimedia)
It can also be intended to signify the quest for knowledge.
In addition to Buddhism, orange is a color found Hinduism.
Krishna is often seen dressed in yellow-orange.
“Grainstack” by Claude Monet, 1891. (Photo: Public domain viaWikipedia)
By nature, orange elicits feelings of warmth, excitement, and amusement.
Due to the incorporation of yellow, orange can be less aggressive than thecolor red.
Artists likeMonet, Gauguin, Renoir, and Toulouse-Lautrec used the color to great effect.
Photo:Stock Photosfrom GCapture/Shutterstock
But perhaps no other painter was as indebted to orange as Vincentvan Gogh.
Grainstack by Claude Monet, 1891.
Uplifting and happy, orange can also border on overpowering when used incorrectly.
Today, U.S. prison jumpsuits are also often designed in a vibrant tangerine color for a similar reason.
This color choice is due to its eye-catching nature.
