Colors are an everyday element capable of revealing many aspects of the same culture. We often see that pigmentation is associated with a certain mood. In Anglo-Saxon languages, “being blue” means giving in to sadness. For us Brazilians, on the other hand, blue is used for every situation in which facts happen as expected. In many other cultures, clothing color can be a tool capable of conveying a wide range of information.
When we talk here about the “origin of blue”, we are unable to talk about the exact date when this color was invented. In fact, different peoples around the world used techniques, plants, oils and other substances to obtain this same tone. Five thousand years ago, the Egyptians used a semi-precious stone (lazuli pencil) to manufacture such coloration. On the other hand, the Romans, not used to color, insisted on associating it with the clear eyes of the barbarians.
In the medieval period, red, black and white were ostensibly used for the construction of illuminations and other types of canvas. The use of red in clothing indicated an individual's status of nobility. Peasants and people with less financial conditions used blue fabrics. To obtain the color, the extraction of a pigment called “isatis” or “dye-paste” was promoted.
At that time, artisans left the plant fermenting with human urine. Some time later, some observed that the addition of alcohol could speed up the reaction. As a result, several artisans got drunk with the excuse that they had to dye a fabric blue. Over time, this practice has led Germans to associate drunkenness with the expression “turning blue”.
In the context of the great navigations, the Europeans got to know the Indian indigo pigment, obtained with the use of an oriental plant. Before that, Europeans had great difficulties in producing blue inks, as the shortage of lapis lazuli stones was tremendous. In order to protect their commercial interests, many merchants at that time instituted a ban on the sale of blue fabrics that were not manufactured from satis.
In the 18th century, an experiment with the oxidation of iron ended up accidentally offering the Prussian blue pigment. From an economic point of view, the discovery made the dyeing processes and the manufacture of paints used in the manufacture of paintings and canvases cheaper. Living in the context of the Industrial Revolution, we see that the development of chemistry provided the fabrication of various tones and colors artificially manipulated. Including the blue one!
By Rainer Sousa
Graduated in History
Brazil School Team
Curiosities - Brazil School
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/curiosidades/a-origem-azul.htm