Everything about Red totally explained
Red is any of a number of similar
colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of
light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly
625–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called
infrared, or
below red and can't be seen by the
naked human eye. Red is used as one of the additive
primary colors of light, complementary to
cyan, in
RGB color systems. Red is also one of the subtractive primary colors of
RYB color space but not
CMYK color space.
In human
color psychology, red is associated with
heat,
energy and
blood, and emotions that stir the blood, including
anger,
passion, and
love.
Etymology and definitions
The word
red comes from the
Old English rēad. Further back, the word can be traced to the
Proto-Germanic rauthaz and the
Proto-Indo European root
reudh-. This is the only color word which has been traced to an Indo-European root. In the English language, the word
red is associated with the color of blood, certain flowers (
for example roses), and ripe fruits (
for example apples, cherries).
Fire is also strongly connected, as is the sun and the sky at sunset. Healthy people are often said to have a redness touch to their skin color (as opposed to be appearing pale). After the rise of
socialism in the mid-19th century, red was to describe revolutionary movements. The word is also obviously associated with anything of the color occupying the lower end of the visible light spectrum, such as red hair or red soil.
Red Indians is a British term for
Native Americans, American terms for this ethnic group include
redskin,
redhead and
red man, though they're not the preferred terms.
In science
Colorimetry and color science
Red is any of a number of similar
colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of
light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly
630–700 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called
infrared, or
below red and can't be seen by human eyes. Red lasers, used in early
compact disc technologies, are being replaced by blue lasers, as red's long wavelength causes the laser's recordings to take up more space on the disc than blue lasers. Red light is used to preserve
night vision in low-light or
night-time situations, as the
rod cells in the human
eye aren't sensitive to red. Red is used as one of the additive
primary colors of light, complementary to
cyan, in
RGB color systems. Red is also one of the subtractive primary colors of
RYB color space but not
CMYK color space.
One common use of red as an additive primary color is in the
RGB color model. Because "red" isn't by itself standardized, color mixtures based on red are not exact specifications of color either. In order to produce exact colors the color red needs to be defined in terms of an
absolute color space such as
sRGB. As used in computer monitors and television screens, red is very variable, but some systems may apply color correction (so that a standardized "red" is produced that isn't in fact full intensity of only the red colorant).
A red
filter used in
black and white photography increases contrast in most scenes. For example, combined with a polarizer, it can turn the sky black. Films simulating the effects of infrared film (such as
Ilford's SFX 200) do so by being much more sensitive to red than to other colors. Red illumination was (and sometimes still is) used as a "
safelight" while working in a
darkroom, as it doesn't expose most photographic paper and some films. Though many more modern darkrooms use an
amber safelight, red illumination is closely associated with the darkroom in the public mind.
In nature
In astronomy,
stars of
stellar class M (the stars with the coolest temperature) are classified as
red stars.
Mars is called the
Red Planet because of the reddish color imparted to its surface by the abundant
iron oxide present there. Astronomical objects which are moving away from the observer exhibit a
red shift.
Jupiter's surface displays a
Great Red Spot, a football-shaped area south of the planet's
equator. Astronomers believe the spot to be some kind of storm.
Oxygenated
blood is red due to the presence of oxygenated
hemoglobin. Red light is the first to be absorbed by sea water, so that many fish and marine invertebrates that appear bright red are
black in their native habitat. When used about animal coloration red usually refers to a brownish, reddish-brown or ginger color. In this sense it's used to describe coat colors of reddish-brown
cattle and
dogs, and in the names of various animal
species or
breeds such as
red fox,
red squirrel,
red deer,
Robin Redbreast,
Red Grouse,
Red Knot,
Redstart,
Redwing,
Red Setter,
Red Devon cattle etc. The usage for animal color appears similar to that for
red ochre,
red hair and
Red Indian. Interestingly red appears to be rarely used in names of animals which are a brighter blood-red or scarlet color (
Carmine Bee-eater,
Scarlet Tanager). When used for flowers, red often refers to purplish (
red deadnettle,
red clover,
red helleborine) or pink (
red campion,
red valerian) colors.
Symbolism
Sin, guilt, passion and anger
Red is frequently used as a symbol of guilt, sin and anger, often as connected with blood or sex. A biblical example is found in Isaiah: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they'll be white as snow." Also,
The Scarlet Letter an 1850 American novel by
Nathaniel Hawthorne, features a woman in a
Puritan New England community who is punished for
adultery with
ostracism, her sin represented by a red letter 'A' sewn into her clothes. This all comes from a general Hebrew view inherited by Christianity which associates red with the blood of murder, as well as with guilt in general. Another popular example of this is in the phrase "caught
red-handed", meaning either caught in an act of crime or caught with the blood of murder still on one's hands. Statistics have shown that red cars are more likely to be involved in accidents. Red may also represent the
deadly sin wrath.
Satan is usually depicted as colored red and/or wearing a red costume in both iconography and popular culture.
The color red is associated with lust, passion, love, and beauty as well. The association with love and beauty is possibly related to the use of red roses as a love symbol. Both the Greeks and the Hebrews considered red a symbol of love, as well as sacrifice.
Courage and sacrifice
Red is also used as a symbol of courage and sacrifice, as in blood spilt in sacrifice or courage in the face of lethal danger. Examples of this are found in the flags of many nations including the
United States, as well as in the novel
The Red Badge of Courage, in which a soldier in the
American Civil War discovers the meaning of courage. Besides the association with guilt previously mentioned, in
Christianity, red represents the color of Christian
martyrs who suffered death for their faith. It is sometimes used for
Holy Thursday and during
Eastertide. In
Roman Catholic tradition it's used for all feast days of Christian martyrs as well as
Palm Sunday in anticipation of the death of Jesus. The phrase "red-blooded" describes someone who is audacious, robust, or virile.
Psychics who claim to be able to observe the
aura with their
third eye report that someone with a red aura is typically someone who is in an requiring vibrant
health and vigorous physical exertion, such as a
professional sportsperson, a
personal trainer, or a
manual laborer.
Warning
Red catches people's attention, and is often used either in a negative way to indicate danger and emergency, or in a positive way in advertising to gain more viewers, or in nature, as a ripe fruit announces its readiness with its red color. Several studies have indicated that red carries the strongest reaction of all the colors, with the level of reaction decreasing gradually with orange, yellow, and white, respectively. Because of this, scientists have repeatedly recommended red for warning signals, labels, and signs. Because of these recommendations, red has seen widespread use as a danger signal, in stop signs, to warn people of extreme heat or flammability, and even to signal warnings in sports such as soccer (see:
penalty card). It may also represent
fire and so may symbolize the presence of God. It is the
liturgical color for
Pentecost. In Chinese cultural traditions, red is associated with weddings (where brides traditionally wear red dresses) and red paper is also frequently used to wrap gifts of money or other things. Special red packets called
hong bao are specifically used during the
Chinese New Year to give monetary gifts. On the more negative end, obituaries are traditionally written in red ink, and to write someone's name in red signals either cutting them out of your life, or that they've died.
In
Japan, red is a traditional color for a heroic figure. In the
Indian Sub-continent, red is the traditional color of bridal dresses, and is frequently represented in the media as a symbolic color for married women. The color is associated with sexuality in marriage relationships through its connection to heat and fertility. It is also the color of wealth, beauty, and the goddess
Lakshmi. In other parts of Africa, however, red is a color of mourning, representing death. Because of the connection red bears with death in many parts of Africa, the
Red Cross has changed its colors to green and white in parts of the continent.
In various nations, red is considered a
Christmas color.
Nationality and politics
Flags
can be attributed to the Union Flag as well as Pan-African colors.
Note: The contains, but not because of the Union Flag.
Note: The Flag of Rwanda no longer uses red as of 2001 due to its association with the Rwandan Genocide.]]
Red is one of the most common colors used on national flags throughout the world. On these flags it carries the same meanings which it does anywhere else: the blood, sacrifice, and courage of those who defended their country, the sun and the hope and warmth it brings, and the sacrifice of Christ's blood (in some historically Christian nations) are a few examples. Red is the color of the flags of several countries which once belonged to the former British Empire. The
British flag bears the colors red, white and blue. red is represented by two crosses, the
St. George's Cross and the diagonal cross of
St. Patrick's Flag. The
United States flag bears the colors of Britain, and other countries' flags, such as those of
Australia and
Fiji, carry a small inset of the British flag in memory of their ties to that country. Former colonies of Spain, such as
Ecuador and
Venezuela, also feature red, one of the colors of the Spanish flag, on their own banners.
Red, along with blue and white is also one of the
Pan-Slavic colors adopted by the Slavic solidarity movement of the late nineteenth century. Initially, these were the colors of the Russian flag, but as the Slavic movement grew, other slavic nations began adopting them, such as the
Czech Republic and
Yugoslavia. In addition to this, red, white, and black are the colors of
Pan-Arabism, and are used by many Arab countries.
Red is one of the four colors (along with gold, green, and black) of
Pan-Africanism. Several African countries thus use the color on their flags, including
South Africa,
Ghana,
Senegal,
Mali,
Ethiopia,
Togo,
Guinea,
Benin, and
Zimbabwe. The
Pan-African colors are borrowed from the
Ethiopian flag, one of the oldest independent African countries.
Political movements
Even before Europe's
Revolutions of 1848, "Socialist" red was used as a color of European
Revolutionaries, often in the form of the
red flag. It was also used by
Garibaldi's
camicie rosse ("
redshirts") in the Italian
Risorgimento, and taken up by
Leftist and generally
revolutionary groups, while the
white of legitimist
Bourbon partisans became associated with pre-
World War I conservatives. This relates to the term "Blood of the workers", representing the suffering of the
proletariat. For instance the
Civil War in Russia and the
Civil War in Finland were fought between the "
Red Army" and various "
White Armies".
The
Cincinnati Red Stockings are the oldest professional baseball team, dating back to 1869. The franchise soon relocated to Boston and is now the
Atlanta Braves, but its name survives as the origin for both the
Cincinnati Reds and
Boston Red Sox. During the 1950s when red was so strongly associated with
communism, the modern Cincinnati team was known as the "Redlegs" and the term was even used on baseball cards. After the red scare faded, the team was known as the Reds again.
The identification of
Communism with "Socialist" red (with the
red flag being the primary color of the flag of the
Soviet Union) and the
red star being a Communist
emblem led to such
Cold War phrases as "the Red Menace" and "
Red China" (distinguished from
Nationalist China, "Free China," or
Taiwan). See also
The East is Red.
Mao Zedong was sometimes referred to as a "red sun". The color was also associated with political vehicles such as the
Red Guard in China and the
Red Guards during the
Russian Revolution of 1917 as well as with left wing paramilitary terrorist groups such as the
Red Army Faction in
Germany and the
Japanese Red Army. Red remains associated with parties on the left of the political spectrum. However, in the
United States, a
red state is one whose population predominantly supports the
Republican Party. Red and black are colors associated with
anarchism, and, specifically,
anarcho-syndicalism.
Pigments
Further Information
Get more info on 'Red'.
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