A photographer cannot help but be attracted to color. Even if you are seeing it as a stepping stone into black and white, color is central to your shot. But lately color has lost its original identity in our culture and I am saddened by what it has been forced to become. It was never meant to be a measuring stick or a dividing tool, a political platform or ethnic distinction. Scientifically color is defined by light, either reflected or emitted, and the way it interacts with an object. But for most of us it is simply the hue or the general complexion of something.
I would prefer that each color be given equal status, but it is true of human nature that in the realm of art we can be drawn to one color over another. My mother had an aversion to purple. I’m not sure why, but I never wore it as a child, except for one lavender sweater that I picked out when someone other than my mother took me clothes shopping once. But technically, it wasn’t until well into adulthood that I actually bought something purple to wear and in the beginning it felt very strange to put it on!
I think we were meant to enjoy all the colors of the rainbow. We were meant to feel the passionate fire of red, the warm glow of orange, the cheery smile of yellow, the hope of possibility in green, the flowing ocean of feelings in blue, the melancholy sorrow of indigo and the quiet strength of purple. A rainbow lacking in any one of these colors is not complete in our eyes and we know our eyes have failed us when colors become dim. It is a sad condition that thanks to the polarizing effect of politics and the people who perpetuate the extremes, that we can no longer enjoy color as color. Color is not a hue or shade now; it is an “issue”.
I decided to get my nails done the other day. I admit it is a bit frivolous, but it is a small way to pamper myself without breaking the bank. When you walk in the door of the salon you are met by a wall of color and the receptionist says, “What color do you want?” There are literally hundreds to choose from. As I sat with the manicurist I couldn’t help but be amused by the wide variety of patrons: a grandma with her daughter and granddaughter, a talkative lady who was an expert on everything from the theater to essential oils, a woman who called herself “Bridezilla” and her flamboyant bridesmaid, a business woman, a pregnant lady, and a couple who seemed to be just as amused by the friendly “know-it-all” as I was. Lots of people- lots of color in every sense of the word- and I was loving it!
Why do we separate colors so severely? What condition compels us to no longer view them as a unified spectrum? The destruction of color has taken the joy of color from our experience and replaced it with the ugly display of selfishness we see forced on us every day by those who demand that it is an issue. Color is not a lethal weapon in a war of words and ideologies. Color is the art of life and beauty. If we could learn to view people this way, I think we’d enjoy one another a lot more. So, I say it is time to reclaim color as it should be- the delightful range of sunlight as it falls upon and is absorbed by the world in which we live. It is time to return color to the feast for the eyes that it was meant to be.
Ann H. LeFevre
I would prefer that each color be given equal status, but it is true of human nature that in the realm of art we can be drawn to one color over another. My mother had an aversion to purple. I’m not sure why, but I never wore it as a child, except for one lavender sweater that I picked out when someone other than my mother took me clothes shopping once. But technically, it wasn’t until well into adulthood that I actually bought something purple to wear and in the beginning it felt very strange to put it on!
I think we were meant to enjoy all the colors of the rainbow. We were meant to feel the passionate fire of red, the warm glow of orange, the cheery smile of yellow, the hope of possibility in green, the flowing ocean of feelings in blue, the melancholy sorrow of indigo and the quiet strength of purple. A rainbow lacking in any one of these colors is not complete in our eyes and we know our eyes have failed us when colors become dim. It is a sad condition that thanks to the polarizing effect of politics and the people who perpetuate the extremes, that we can no longer enjoy color as color. Color is not a hue or shade now; it is an “issue”.
I decided to get my nails done the other day. I admit it is a bit frivolous, but it is a small way to pamper myself without breaking the bank. When you walk in the door of the salon you are met by a wall of color and the receptionist says, “What color do you want?” There are literally hundreds to choose from. As I sat with the manicurist I couldn’t help but be amused by the wide variety of patrons: a grandma with her daughter and granddaughter, a talkative lady who was an expert on everything from the theater to essential oils, a woman who called herself “Bridezilla” and her flamboyant bridesmaid, a business woman, a pregnant lady, and a couple who seemed to be just as amused by the friendly “know-it-all” as I was. Lots of people- lots of color in every sense of the word- and I was loving it!
Why do we separate colors so severely? What condition compels us to no longer view them as a unified spectrum? The destruction of color has taken the joy of color from our experience and replaced it with the ugly display of selfishness we see forced on us every day by those who demand that it is an issue. Color is not a lethal weapon in a war of words and ideologies. Color is the art of life and beauty. If we could learn to view people this way, I think we’d enjoy one another a lot more. So, I say it is time to reclaim color as it should be- the delightful range of sunlight as it falls upon and is absorbed by the world in which we live. It is time to return color to the feast for the eyes that it was meant to be.
Ann H. LeFevre
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