The Color White
Many people would be aware of the connection between colors and the emotions they evoke. Sometimes the connections get established in traditions, while many are experienced throughout the different phases of our lives.
In this post, I would like to share my thoughts and feelings about the color white. From the little bit of physics, I did understand and remember, all the other colors in our visual spectrum originate from white, making it the source of all colors, thus its relation to the concept of neutrality and fairness.
If you were to Google about the color white, most results will speak of how it is a dominantly positive color, often associated with purity, rebirth, starting afresh, cleanliness, safety and so on. While I agree that I too often associate the color white with those emotions and concepts, I am somewhat surprised not to find a piece that covers all the generic bases of emotions that I associate with white.
I find white to be a color, that while being positive, does not necessarily associate ONLY with the pleasant feelings. I often associate white with the feeling of emptiness. It is not sadness or loneliness, but simply emptiness. Arguably, this leans towards the description of white being resembling neutrality, a blank slate to start over on. However, often enough, this feeling of whited out emptiness comes after strong negative feelings of loss, sorrow, defeat and such.
For those negative emotions, many people would associate with the color black, and there too, I agree that on many occasions, I have felt the same. But similarly, complete blackness is also a state of neutrality, wherein the slate has been completely covered to hide all previous marks.
Observing these associations between the two colors so far apart on the spectrum, leads me to consider the balance concept, that black and white are but two sides of the same coin. Neither can exist without the other, in their truest form, they have no stance, they are balanced. They are completely different yet absolutely alike in certain ways.
So, are these differing emotional and psychological associations with the color white simply a result of what is prevalent? Do I feel comfort and safety in the color white because that is how I have seen it all my life? What if all tissues and towels were black in color? How would we feel about black then? That is a different discussion though and I would like to return to my original point of this post.
For me, white is not necessarily a positive color. While I do associate it with comfort and safety, it relates to me for periods where there are no emotions or moments of stillness, or simply blank moments. What feelings do you associate with the color white? Share your answers in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
In this post, I would like to share my thoughts and feelings about the color white. From the little bit of physics, I did understand and remember, all the other colors in our visual spectrum originate from white, making it the source of all colors, thus its relation to the concept of neutrality and fairness.
If you were to Google about the color white, most results will speak of how it is a dominantly positive color, often associated with purity, rebirth, starting afresh, cleanliness, safety and so on. While I agree that I too often associate the color white with those emotions and concepts, I am somewhat surprised not to find a piece that covers all the generic bases of emotions that I associate with white.
I find white to be a color, that while being positive, does not necessarily associate ONLY with the pleasant feelings. I often associate white with the feeling of emptiness. It is not sadness or loneliness, but simply emptiness. Arguably, this leans towards the description of white being resembling neutrality, a blank slate to start over on. However, often enough, this feeling of whited out emptiness comes after strong negative feelings of loss, sorrow, defeat and such.
For those negative emotions, many people would associate with the color black, and there too, I agree that on many occasions, I have felt the same. But similarly, complete blackness is also a state of neutrality, wherein the slate has been completely covered to hide all previous marks.
Observing these associations between the two colors so far apart on the spectrum, leads me to consider the balance concept, that black and white are but two sides of the same coin. Neither can exist without the other, in their truest form, they have no stance, they are balanced. They are completely different yet absolutely alike in certain ways.
So, are these differing emotional and psychological associations with the color white simply a result of what is prevalent? Do I feel comfort and safety in the color white because that is how I have seen it all my life? What if all tissues and towels were black in color? How would we feel about black then? That is a different discussion though and I would like to return to my original point of this post.
For me, white is not necessarily a positive color. While I do associate it with comfort and safety, it relates to me for periods where there are no emotions or moments of stillness, or simply blank moments. What feelings do you associate with the color white? Share your answers in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
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