MAGAZINE: Personality
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When Colors Contradict Themselves
For thousands of years, human societies have been fascinated by colors. Their symbols have evolved according to their people, and thus have also expressed similarities as well as contradictions. Let’s look at the examples of two primary colors, yellow and red.
Have you ever tried looking at the sun with the naked eye? That’s the quickest way to damage your cornea. Just as we have to avoid making direct visual contact with this dazzling star, the color yellow embodies the color of an Emperor, before whom one’s eyes should always be lowered as a sign of respect. On the opposite side, during the Middle Ages, yellow was the color of mayhem and madness, the color of the Devil, demons and other evil spirits. Oddly however, for Christianity, yellow is the symbol of eternity (as shown on the Vatican flag), as well as of betrayal (Judas has long been represented in yellow).
An ambivalence still remains today in many countries in Western Europe, where yellow can mean the betrayed husband, but is also a very positive and warm color used by many commercial brands for their logo. In India, where yellow is the sign of absolute perfection, this color is strictly reserved for the representation of Buddha. In several countries of Central America, such as Mexico and Guatemala, yellow is a symbol of strength and youth. Strangely, in Indonesia it symbolizes death: on the Island of Java, funeral processions are always adorned with small yellow flags.
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