Color is a subject of philosophical
meditation. From ancient times color carried definite information and was
widely used in folk arts. For example, according to legends four cardinal
points have symbolical colors: the north - white, the south - brown, the east –
yellow and the west - blue. Seasons also have own colors: spring -
white-pink-green, summer - dark green, autumn - yellow-orange-golden and winter
- white. Historical and archeological sources prove that different peoples
defined colors of months, days and time in general. More general is a
phenomenon more definite is symbolical color representing it. As for abstract
conditions of human mind all nations come to common vision of color and its
meaning. For example, white means peace and calmness, dark blue calls to
dialogue, red is a symbol of love.
Different religions prescribe different
colors for clothes of believers: Buddhism - orange, Christianity - black, Islam
- white.
Psychologists consider that colors directly
influence consciousness: yellow color calms, green - inspires, red - excites,
black - embitters. At the same time different conditions of soul correspond to
definite colors: green to calmness, red to excitement, yellow to disease, dark
blue to vitality, blue to hope, black to the abstract, achromatic to vacuum.
Personal morals and character were also
defined by means of color. For example, white corresponds to pure and open
character; green - young; red – artful and categorical.
Artists use colors to transfer different
periods of human life: blue, green, lilac and red colors correspond to youth
full of love; brown, dark blue and grey colors symbolize an old age.
Color of clothes differently influences a
state of health and mind. Warm colors - red, yellow, brown and orange heat a
person, and his mind became creative. On the contrary, cold colors - green,
dark blue, blue, violet, turquoise and lilac cool a body and make mind calm and
meditative. There are also neutral colors - grey and its components - white and
black. However, the person differently reacts to the same color of clothes
being in different psychological conditions or situations. So, this
classification requires studying individual influence of color on health and
mind of each person in different situations and conditions of his mind.
According to Turkic mythology, blue color
symbolizes the sacred sky and Yang. Blue and red colors are considered sacral
in eastern Uzbekistan. Red or blue clothes are used for traditional holidays
and fast, wedding or funeral. In this region of Uzbekistan black color of
clothes, alongside with blue, is a sign of mourning. White color is a symbol of
faith, hope and purifying influence of Allah in all regions of Uzbekistan.
Color and philosophic
problems of consciousness
The world is beautiful as it is polychromic.
Some symbolical systems define three basic colors - red, yellow and green and
their combinations. The other give seven basic colors - white, yellow, green,
dark blue, blue, red and black. Absolute human sight is able to distinguish
from 40 up to 100 colors. Modern computers distinguish several thousands colors
and their tints. The world is rich in colors and tints. Only thing is to be
able to see them.
White color is considered “ideal” color and
“color of dream”. It is a symbol of purity, faith, health and well-being. It
has three major interpretations.
The first is – birth and creation. Newborn
baby is done up in white sheet. People call a baby “Ok-pok” - “White, pure”.
Mind of a newborn baby is absolutely pure and free of sins.
The second is - human life aspiring to purity
of consciousness and if such purity is reached, aspiration to keep and develop
it. Purity of consciousness determines cleanliness of body and clothes.
Praying, pilgrimage and good acts are a result of pure consciousness.
The third is - a symbol of two absolute
oppositions - life and death, beginning and end of life.
White color takes a special place in customs
and traditions of Uzbeks. White fabric (poyondoz) is put under feet of groom
and bride at wedding. A groom brings white fabric to bride’s house expressing
his kind and pure intentions.
Uzbek people associate white color with kind
and light hope: “Ok yul”, “I^klam”, “I^k gul”, “I^k osh”, “I^k fotiqa”. They
have deep philosophical content and are connected with pure thoughts. Many
kishlaks of Uzbekistan have a custom of “I^k sepish”. When matchmakers come in
a house of a bride, they are sprinkled with flour that means: “Come with kind
intentions”.
Yellow color is considered the best for
important persons in the Far East, China, Korea and Mongolia. Ancestors of
Central Asian peoples associated yellow color with the sun, fire, gold and
riches.
Europeans associate yellow color with the end
of hot summer and beginning of fall. That is why Europeans attribute yellow to
parting. It can be also a symbol of illness and death. At the same time, yellow
color positively influences mood of a person. Designers widely use this
property of yellow.
Green color is a symbol of life, nature,
revival, creation, spring and miraculous force of being. It has a salutary
effect on mind and soul. A person, who prefers green, has a complex about of
another’s influence and searches for self-affirmation as he fears everyday
problems, ups and downs of life and difficulties in general (1, p. 14 - 16).
Dark blue color is a symbol of dream and
expectations, good and creativity. It is a color of the sky associated with a
spiritual evolution of a person. It might be a symbol of crisis - stop in
development, tortures and mourning. If a person likes dark blue, it means his
modesty and melancholy. Such person quickly gets tired and often needs a rest,
feeling of security and amiability of midst. Antagonism to this color says that
a person wants to create impression that he can do everything, but actually he
is a sample of self-distrust and asociality.
In some countries of Central Asia and Iran
dark blue color of clothes means mourning. The damnation “Put on dark blue!”
was considered the most severe. Notices on death of emir or sultan were written
on dark blue paper.
Northern peoples associated dark blue color
with cold and shadow.
Blue color is a symbol of the sky and sea.
The blue sky was identified with infinity and the God. Blue color is a color of
wisdom, generosity, faith, glory and truth, and a color of eternity in the
East.
In Uzbekistan blue color is a major color in
architecture. Blue are domes, wall paintings and exterior decor of buildings.
Romantics connect blue
color with dreams (blue dream).
Red color. Traditionally red color has two
absolutely opposite interpretations. Firstly, it is a symbol of beauty, love
and good life. Some peoples attribute it to greatness. For example, in Japan, a
red carpet is put under feet of the most esteemed guests. In China “red soul”
was attributed to good and truthful person, and red color was to protect from
evil angels. So, face and hands of little children were painted in red to
prevent charms and illness. Polynesians related red color to symbols of love,
and Russians - to symbols of beauty. Old Russian language proves that words
“e^?a`n~i'u^e'” and “e^?a`n~e`a^u^e'” have the same meaning: “A girl is “red
(beautiful)” till wedding”. If red is favorite color, such person is
courageous, strong-willed, choleric, sociable and altruist in addition. A
person normally irritated by red has inferiority complex, fear before quarrels
and incline to solitude and stable relations.
Secondly, red color is interpreted as a
symbol of passion, blood, revenge, purifying fire and destroying blood as well
as a color of greatness, power and violence. Warriors of Sparta and Carthage
put on red clothes for Roman war. African, American and Australian tribes used
to paint faces and bodies of warriors in red before battles.
Black color symbolizes mystery, darkness,
misfortune, mourning, disaster, death, horror and hell in many cultures. Many
peoples associate black color with night. Night expresses darkness and deceit.
In ancient Egypt hands of a person who sacrificed were painted in black. In Africa
black bulls, goats and birds were sacrificed to genies of rain. If a person
prefers to put on black (excluding situations related to mourning which
emphasize actual value of black), he quite often sees life in dark colors,
feels lack confidence in himself, unhappy and inclines to depression as has no
doubts that his ideals are unachievable. Frequent changes of black costume to
bright might show that pessimistic mood is often overcome (1, p. 14 - 16).
Turkic peoples attributed to black color such
meanings as a mark, point, goal as well as a sign of force, greatness and
power. For example: strong (“ki^ra kuch” - “black forces”, “kora botir ” -
“black bogatyr”), big (“korabog” - “black garden “ –“big garden”; “koramol” –
“black cattle”), etc.
Najmiddin Qubro interpreted black color as a
color which marked approach of soul to the purpose - a threshold of Divine
World. Black is a symbol of divine dhikr and admiration at God’s all-might (2,
p. 157).
Achromatic is not a colour, it means absence
of color. However, achromatic makes a basis for other colors. Al-Farabi wrote:
“Each color has absence of some color, but presence of white color does not
mean absence of black” (3, p. 204). Qubro paid especial attention to achromatic
as murid (pupil) could be freed from black color, reached the purpose
(“hakikat”) and reach divine world exactly within achromatic. Achromatic
symbolizes full achievement of the true purpose - divine world, truth and
greatness.
Color and human character
Our mind differently reacts to colors of
subjects and phenomena in different situations. Character of a person depends
on which color his mind prefers in this or that situation. Cold colors (dark
blue, green and their tints) are attributes of calmness, tenderness, apathy and
sadness. Variations of these conditions allow passing from one condition to
another. That is promoted by presence of warm colors around. Warm colors give
dignity, self-reliance and ability to operate own life and actions as well as
actions of other people and offices. They cause feeling of pleasure and
self-reliance.
Grey is a favorite color of discreet and hard
of belief persons which think much before making a decision. Grey color
determines a neutral condition of consciousness. Such persons fear to make
themselves known. Grey color causes negative emotions at impulsive and
frivolous persons.
Orange is a favorite color of people having
deep intuition and passionate dreamers. The people having negative emotions
towards orange might be insincere and cunning.
Brown color is a color of independent person.
He appreciates traditions and family. A person avoiding this color is ambitious
egoist. Egoism makes a person asocial. Such person cannot be frankness.
Apple-green is a color of misanthropes and
cynics. It is liked by dictatorial persons who work their will upon others and
avoid acting themselves as they fear to get to a nonplus.
Pink is a color of life, love and kindness.
Those people who like this color are sensitive and often suffer because of
nothing. Pragmatic people feel irritation towards pink.
Violet is able to raise feelings and bring
mind to high spirituality and delicacy. If violet color causes negative
associations, it testifies to developed sense of duty, wish to live here and
now, not thinking about the past and future. Violet color is a typical color of
harmonious persons.
Thus, color describes human life in all acts
of human mind. Color reveals all sides of human existence from creation to
destruction, defines mentality of a person and his relation to himself, life,
people and events which come to a person on way of development of his own
consciousness and being. Color is logic, psychology, philosophy and aesthetics
of human life. Color is a property of any phenomenon which calls to comprehend
mystery of our consciousness and life.
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