In nature, few objects are inherently blue, yet, the human eye perceives some of them as pervasive natural subjects as blue. For example, the sky and the ocean are not tinted blue. However, the way light is absorbed and dispersed by the sky and ocean causes them to appear blue. Some birds, flowers, and minerals are actually blue, but blue objects like these are comparatively rare (“The Story of Blue”). The rarity of blue in nature has contributed to the historic mystique surrounding the color. Once humans discovered ways to artificially create blue pigments, the color quickly became popular and held symbolic significance in many different cultures.

 

In present-day Afghanistan, the blue pigment was created from lapis lazuli, which at the time was more precious than gold (“The Story of Blue”). The ancient Egyptians were the first people to create blue synthetic pigment around 2,200 B.C. The pigment was originally made from ground limestone, sand, and blue minerals (Taggart). Over time, more countries developed their own blue pigments and used the color in their artwork and poetry. In 1826, Jean Baptiste Gamay artificially generated lapis lazuli, making the blue that was hardly affordable in the prior 5000 years available to the public (“The Story of Blue”).

 

Because of blue’s initial rarity, mystique, and price, the color was often reserved for deities or heavenly scenes in art. In European art, blue used to be reserved for figures of Christianity, such as Jesus and Mother Mary (“The Story of Blue”). Ancient Egypt also used blue in statues of Pharaohs and as temple decorations to represent Heaven, the river Nile, and the universe (Taggart).

 

Different cultures have witnessed distinct evolutions of blue in the way they create art. In China, starting from the culture’s Five Elements Theory (WuXing), where blue was associated with water, health, and harmony, blue began to be used as royal decorations in palaces and temples to represent heaven and manifest the power of the emperor (Hang). The distinct use of blue emerged in artisan products of China’s Ming dynasty (1368-1644), along with the mass production of blue and white porcelain due to China’s expanded maritime trade with other countries. Later, thanks to maritime trade, Japan underwent “the Blue Revolution” in its Edo period (1604-1867). The Prussian blue color soon spread and got used in Japan’swoodblock printing and painting, namely the Ukiyo-e. Incorporating blue in the art to resemble the process of bringing the inaccessible blue within sky and water into the hand, splendid works emerged, such as Katsushika Hokusai’s 1831 artwork The Great Wave off Kanagawa.

 

Aside from the use of blue in art and cultures, the color is often associated with the emotions of sadness, distress, and depression, with the expression “feeling blue” used. However, in color psychology, people asked about their perception of blue tended to report feeling calmness, confidence, and peace, which are rather positive feelings (Cherry). According to 2020 research, the color blue, compared to colors like red, can also boost human altruistic behaviors by affecting their decision-making and information-acquiring process (Nie et al.). In this perspective, blue further becomes a color containing moral values within. Nonetheless, since the 18th century, blue was transformed into a color representing gendered personalities—that is, masculinity—in contrast to the femininity generated by pink(Paoletti). While such stereotypes were created during the post-war period for the sake of promoting the birth rate, they have had lasting effects on how humans perceive colors and genders.