The document discusses various topics related to color including: 1) It describes how verdigris, a green pigment produced from copper corrosion, was used for centuries as both a paint pigment and wood preservative. 2) It discusses how the colors of butterflies are produced through thin film interference within the scales of their wings, resulting in brilliant hues like intense blues. 3) It provides examples of the wide variety of colors found among different types of fungi in nature.

1. THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF
DESIGNED BY
EIGHT AND A HALF
BROOKLYN, NY
SCIENCE, NATURE, HISTORY, CULTURE, BEAUTY OF RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE & VIOLET
JOANN ECKSTUT AND ARIELLE ECKSTUT

2. forpainting,whenusedincombinationwithoil,itwasalsoprone
toauniquechemicalreaction:Itwouldturnfromanaquagreento
amossygrassgreenandthenstabilize,verdantnatureseemingly
coming to life on the canvas. Unfortunately for painters who did
not mix their verdigris with oil, another chemical change was in
the works: their beautiful aqua would eventually turn to brown.
At the end of the eighteenth century, verdigris made another
proportions. Each substance, stat
proportion of elements by mass. T
grams of water, taken from any
gram of hydrogen and 8 grams o
author, Proust’s hypothesis woul
atomic theory, which similarly s
made up of different types of atom
VENI VIDI VERDI
For centuries in Roman tim
served many different purp
bright green paints to med
Wood
Preservation
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE LADY LIBERTY
TO ACHIEVE HER VERDIGRIS HUE?
APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS FOR FULL
TRANSFORMATION FROM ORIGINAL
COPPER COLOR.

3. light through the structure of their scale
atingtheircolorfuldisplaysthroughinte
The blues and violets of the male m
ample, are caused by thin-film iridesc
are sandwiched between thin layers of
wings—up to ten to twelve layers for som
genus. Because air and cuticle bend ligh
interference between these thin films re
way that enhances its color; a whopping
wavelengths we perceive as blue will
what can be achieved by pigments alone
particular brilliance.
Our eyes can only see the glittery play of intense blue on
butterfly, but an extreme closeup reveals the thin layers o
breathtaking color and iridescence.

5. 212
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7/3/13 1:46 PM

10. 137
DO YOU COME HERE OFTEN?
Not all pollinators are attracted to the same
color flowers. Instead particular colors
attract particular members of the animal
kingdom. Smell also comes into
the picture, especially for flies,
which are attracted to flowers
that smell like rotting flesh.
me
ors
he animal
es into
or flies,
owers
h.

15. 140
Mycena interrupla
Cookeina tricholoma Cortinarius iodes
Unknown Ascomycete
A RAINBOW OF FUNGI…
15213_COLOR_120-143_Flora.indd 140 7/3/13 12:53 PM
141
Unknown Lepista sp.
Hygrocybe psittacina
Podostroma cornu-damae Leotia viscosa
Mucronella sp.
15213_COLOR_120-143_Flora.indd 141 7/3/13 12:53 PM

16. 17
the cause of visible light—in other words, the cause of color. He
identified other groups of electromagnetic waves, too, groups we
To get a handle on exactly what length and frequency are all
about, imagine you are holding one end of a jump rope. Another
SSSHHHOOORRRTTTEEERRR WWWWWWWAAAAVVVVVVVEEEEEELLLLLLLLEEEEEENNNNNNGGGTTHHH
(MORE ENERGY)
ELF WAVES
RADIO
WAVES
TELEVISION
WAVES
MICROWAVES
RADAR
RAYS
INFRARED
RAYS
LOOOONNNGGGEERRR WWWWWAAAAAAVVVVVVEEEEEELLLLLLLLEEEEEEENNNNNNNNGGGTTHHH
(LESS ENERGY)
FFRRRREEEEQQQQQUUUUUUUUEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNCCCCCCYYYY
v (IN HERTZ)
VISIBLE LIGHT
ULTRAVIOLET
RAYS
GAMMA
RAYS
X-RAYS
ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH
All electromagnetic radiation (just another word for
the movement of a wave through an electromagnetic
field) travels through a vacuum at the stupendous
speed of 186,282 miles per second, also known as the
speed of light. As you can see, the visible spectrum
is just a tiny band of the elecromagnetic spectrum.

17. ist, Robert Shapely and psychologist, James Gordon.
T
squa
hold

20. 27

23. 13
e un-
re his
Taken
scale,
sthet-
ewton
gin of
spec-
violet.
languageofcolorisfluid,morphingovertimeandacrossgeographies
inresponsetoculturalforcesthataresometimestoocomplextopin
down. For example, the color Newton called indigo is the one most
people would identify as plain old blue or a true blue that falls
midwaybetweengreenandviolet.Newton’sblueiswhatwenowcall
cyan, a more turquoise blue that falls between blue and green.
NEWTON
INDIGO
NEWTON
BLUE

24. It’s hard to imagine a time when people did not distinguish navy
from baby blue, blue from green, even blue from red. But if we
IRONCLAD Our blood is made up of protein, iron, and oxygen.
It’s the iron and oxygen that are responsible for its red hue. Iron

31. Knownforcenturiessimplyasred-yellow(orġeolurēadforEnglish
speakersofyore),itwasn’tuntilitseponymousfruitbecamewidely
from Persia to Moorish Spain, taking on native pronunciations
alongtheway—fromnāranginPersiantonāranjinArabicandfrom

33. More than any other color of the spectrum, yellow stands out.
This is because the sensitivity of our eyes is at its peak when it
fruits were too big for birds and needed pollinators. We just
happened (or did we?) to develop our increased sensitivity to

36. The intersection between civilization, religion, and the natural
world is abundantly apparent in the Islamic faith. The green
the eternal garden is furnished. In keeping with the flora theme,
references throughout the Qur’an indicate that heavy rains come

38. Very little blue existed in the ancient world. Blue fruits were
virtually nonexistent; truly blue flowers rare; and blue clothing
fringes of ritual Jewish prayer shawls. The word blue here is
actually a translation of the Hebrew word Tekhelet, a word

40. You say purple, we say violet. In everyday use, the words purple
and violet are interchangeable. But in the world of color, violet
three and four, and so on. The townhouses are all connected, but
townhouse one and six are not connected, in the same way that

45. Take a Look Around

46. Stand Out or Fit In?

47. The Effect of Color on Size and ShapeHigh? Low? Wide? Narrow?

53. 50 Shades of.....Complementary Palettes

54. Too Much Color?

55. i
iii
ii
a n D
A Neutral
In Every
Palette

56. Is White Alright?

57. Color Isn’t Static

58. Let The World Inspire You

59. Experiment
Before
Deciding