Some of the most persistent and prevailing trappings of Christmas are the colors of the season, red and green.
A comment made in a text by the curator, Brooke Peipert, of “The Good Weather Gallery”, in Edwardsville, that Coca-Cola printed advertisements were responsible for this color scheme, gave pause to think and initiated some research. The ensuing research lead to a news briefing of an interview with Arielle Eckstut, co-author of “Secret Language of Color” on NPR radio. She said that two components can be attributed to the color of Christmas, holly and Coca-Cola. Holly, she stated, was used with winter solstice celebrations during the times of the Roman Empire and was adopted by Christians for their celebrations of the birth of Jesus.
But according to Eckstut, the Coca-Cola advertisements cemented the colors red and green for Christmas. She explains that Coca-Cola hired the illustrator Haddon Sundblom to create a Santa Claus in 1931. His illustrations were the first to feature a jolly, overweight, white bearded, Santa in a bright red coat with white fur trimmings. The iconic green glass bottles of Coke and the reds of Santa’s suit matching the red of Coca-Cola’s logo established red and green as Christmas colors, as these ads became a constant during the holidays.
Suffice it to state, that red and green are colors chosen on purpose for the advertisements. When used together these form a complimentary color scheme, which in visual art terms mean opposing and clashing, not harmonious or agreeable. Understanding of the color psychology of these two colors only adds to the contradicting nature of these in combination.
Succinctly, red is the most exciting color and green is the most calming. For an illustration of how red can percipitate higher levels of excitement and therefore being manifested in individuals, drivers of red vehicles receive more tickets than other colors of vehicles in terms of percentages (“red seems to take the cake as a ticket magnet” CNET, Google).
To know about the color green being the most calming color, one can look to the theater. Most theaters have a “Green Room” for performers to be in before they enter the stage to calm their anxieties. Strategically, for the purpose of commerce, these are combined to create feelings of invigoration and animation, to spur one to buying.
For the purpose of a different perspective, one that is based on Christian faith, these colors are explained through a different lens. Red being the most exciting color, can be taken to represent the excitement of the birth of the Messiah, Jesus, who was the Christ child foretold centuries before. Green the most calming color, in turn can be a depiction of the arrival of the Prince of Peace, also, foretold in the scriptures.
When the colors of Christmas are observed, and most honestly, felt, maybe one can take the perceived feelings and transpose these to reflect on the significance of the celebration of this holiday. Have a Merry Colorful Christmas.
Robert Maguire holds a BA degree from SIUE and a MA degree from University of Illinois in Art. He currently serves on the boards of the Illinois Arts Council, Madison County Regional Office of Education and SIUE Friends of Art. An ISBE Illinois Teacher of the Year, he has taught art for over 40 years and continues to practice art production.
The Link LonkDecember 23, 2020 at 01:50AM
https://www.thetelegraph.com/insider/article/Christmas-colors-of-red-and-green-offer-an-art-15822246.php
Christmas colors of red and green offer an art lesson - Alton Telegraph
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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