RED by School of Art, George Mason University

About Me My name is Alejandro Aguilar and I was born in El Salvador. I came to the USA for a better future. I was brought here at the age of 6 to start 2nd grade. I struggled a bit with English and these brand new subjects that I knew nothing about but I eventually got the hang of it. I fell in love with creating art as I grew up. I never took it too seriously, it was just a hobby I had. One of my favorite teachers suggested for me to sign up for art competitions and to my surprise, I ended up winning 2 awards. One of those awards got my work hung up on The Capitol and I met several congressmen and women there. This is when I started to take art seriously and decided to make it my future. I am now a senior at George Mason University, working on my Senior Project, the amalgamation of everything I have learned in school for 17 years. I am nervous about what is to come but I can say that I am ready. I hope you learn something about our world, about me, or even about yourself in this book. Most of all, have fun reading.

RED

alejandro aguilar

Citations Brumm, Adam, et al. “Oldest Cave Art Found in Sulawesi.” Science Advances, vol. 7, no. 3, 2021, doi:10.1126/sciadv.abd4648. “Color Symbolism in Christianity.” Western Oregon University, www.wou.edu/wp/exhibits/ files/2015/07/christianity.pdf. “Color Symbolism in Hinduism.” Western Oregon University. Dasgupta, Sharonee. “Semiotic Study of Sindoor.” Electromagnetic Spectrum - Introduction. imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/science/toolbox/ emspectrum1.html. “The Eye of Ra - Meaning of the Eye of Ra: Eye of Ra Power.” Egypt Tour Packages | Egypt Tours | Egypt Day Tours | Cruises in Egypt, 8 July 2020, www.cleopatraegypttours.com/ travel-guide/the-eye-of-ra/.

How the Eyes Work. 26 July 2019, www.nei.nih. gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision/howeyes-work#:~:text=When%20light%20hits%20 the%20retina,into%20the%20images%20 you%20see. Kalu, Madeline. “Is There Any Significance to Colors in the Bible?” Christianity.com, Salem Web Network, 9 Dec. 2019, www.christianity. com/wiki/bible/is-there-any-significance-tocolors-in-the-bible.html. Mark, Joshua J. “Color in Ancient Egypt.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 13 Mar. 2021, www.ancient.eu/ article/999/color-in-ancient-egypt/. Practices of Faith: Liturgical Colors, web. archive.org/web/20070410225700/http:/www. ucc.org/worship/colors.htm. “Pschent.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pschent. “The Purpose of the Bindi.” Hindu American Foundation, 21 Sept. 2020, www. hinduamerican.org/blog/the-purpose-of-thebindi/. Santos, J. C., et al. “Multiple, Recurring Origins of Aposematism and Diet Specialization in Poison Frogs.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 100, no. 22, 2003, pp. 12792–12797., doi:10.1073/ pnas.2133521100.

Strassberg, Richard E. A Chinese Bestiary: Strange Creatures from the Guideways through Mountains and Seas = Shan Hai Jing. University of California Press, 2018. “Wuxing.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica. com/topic/wuxing.

Image Citations

Hodge, K. Midge. “Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary Painting.” Unsplash, 25 Mar. 2021, unsplash. com/photos/ao-mJLmF120. “Pope Pentecost.” The Tablet, www.thetablet. co.uk/news/9116/the-holy-spirit-changeshearts-pope-says-on-pentecost. “Megaloceros with Line of Dots.” Public Doman Wikipedia, 22 May 2009, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Lascaux#/media/File:Lascaux,_Megaloceros.jpg. Thakkar, Amish. “Smiling Woman in Red and White Floral Hijab.” Unsplash, 10 Mar. 2020, unsplash.com/photos/uomvzDZR8FM. Thakkar, Amish. “Woman in Red and Gold Floral Hijab.” Unsplash, 19 Apr. 2020, unsplash.com/photos/uomvzDZR8FMYiranding. “Orange and Gray Buildings.” Unsplash, 22 Feb. 2019, unsplash.com/photos/rkvhE37qH_0.

table of contents

Science

History cavemen

eyes infrared

asia: china japan egypt: ra deschret christianity: sacred heart holy blood hindu

Psychology red in nature

red in the city

4 5

8 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

18 20 24

Interviews

Erico Paige Ivy

Head

28 30 32

Red

End

Wavelength approx. 625–740 nm

Frequency ~480–400 THz

sRGBB (255, 0, 0)

Hex Triplet #FF0000

Science

The Science Behind the Color Red

Everyone knows how colors work right? The light from the sun or any type of light will hit an object, the reflection from that object and hit our eyes. Everyone knows that right? OK. Just in case you didn’t know let me tell you in the simplest way. White light is composed of all the colors we know of. You know that thing you learned in elementary school called ROYGBIV to remember what the colors of the rainbow are?

ROYGBIV

Just in case you were not paying attention in class, let me remind you what that stands for:

• Red • Orange 2 | RED

• • • • •

Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet

White light contains all these colors. When light hits, for example, an apple, all colors will be absorbed except for red. The red will reflect from the apple and hit our retinas. Our brain will process that as the color red. When we see the color white, that means all the colors were able to reflect off that object. The color black is the opposite, it will absorb all the colors. That is why wearing a black shirt on a hot day is a bad idea. It will make the shirt hot because it absorbed all the colors.

RED | 3

Science

Retina (Cones & Rods)

Cornea

Pupil Iris

Eyes

Eyes work like little cameras in your head. Our eyes will only perceive the reflected colors. The light will go through the cornea, pupil, and iris. These things help the light concentrate so it hits the retina. The retina is full of cells that are light sensitive. These cells are the shapes of cones and rods that will then transmit signals to the brain. (How the eyes work)

4 | RED

Infrared

Just like there are visible colors, there are also invisible colors. The Electro-Magnetic Spectrum shows us the different types of radiation. Different types of radiations have different frequencies of wavelengths. (Electromagnetic spectrum - introduction) If you lower the frequency of the color red, you get to the point where you cannot see it but you start getting radiation called infrared. With special goggles that allow you to see infrared, you can see the heat that objects radiate.

All the way over there!

RED | 5

History

History of the Color Red The color red has had a very prominent role in the history of humankind. From the cave paintings of Indonesia to current uses of the color red like Target’s logo or red stoplights. The color red is everywhere. The color red was mostly used because of the way it stands out among any other color.

bit difficult to find red ochre. The red rocks will then need to be grinded enough for it to become a powder. The powder is then heated for the minerals in the powder, and then it’s dehydrated so that the red is able to come out. This is how cavemen were able to do it.

Dyes

Madder dye is made out of madder plant roots which are a very strong red color. This color was mostly used in India and Egypt for textile during the 19th century.

Throughout history, red has been one of the easiest and cheapest types of dye to make. Most of the ingredients you need to make dye are just laying right outside your house (depending on where you live, you might have to go to a store and buy it.)

Ochre

Ochre red is the way cavemen were able to paint on the walls of caves about 30,000 years ago. Red ochre is made out of red minerals you can find on the ground. Ochre is very easy to find everywhere but it will be a little 6 | RED

Madder Plant

Vermilion

Vermilion is another dye you can also get from rocks. This time it comes from a rock called cinnabar. What makes cinnabar so special is that it gives a very saturated red dye. It has been used in ancient china to decorate tableware. Be careful! Cinnabar is very toxic because of the amount of mercury it contains.

15,000 B.C.E 2,000 B.C.E

Hinduism Started

Lascoux Cavemen Paintings Ochre was made

3,000 B.C.E

Hierogliphics Originated

1,000 B.C.E

Chinese New Year Originated

600 B.C.E

Japan Founded

300 B.C.E

Vermillion was Invented

100 A.D.

Christianity Emerges

1800’s

Madder Dye Invented

1949

China Founded RED | 7

History

Cavemen Paintings Lascaux Caves

Just like everyone who likes to document everything on social media to show off to their friends, cavemen documented how their everyday lives went on cave walls. The subject on the walls were mostly on how people hunted and painted large animals. The Lascaux caves are the most popular cave paintings in the world. They are located in France and receives a lot of traffic from tourists. Because of how vivid the red was in the paintings appear, many people assumed they used blood to paint. In order to paint on the walls, they used rocks and ochre. Like I stated before, ochre was found by finding red dirt and stone found on the ground. They would sometimes mix these ingredients with animal fat to make them last longer on the wall. (Brumm et al. Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi)

8 | RED

RED | 9

History

Ancient Asia The color red is extremely important in East Asian culture. Most flags in Asia use some sort of red color on them.

China

Red symbolizes good luck and fortune in China. The type of red they use is called vermilion, which is the red I have mentioned earlier. The use of vermilion is prominent all throughout the Chinese New Year. It is used on lanterns, traditional clothing, and on dragons during the Dragon Dance. The Chinese flag is also covered in vermilion. Wuxing is a Chinese philosophy that tries to explain every phenomenon that we don’t understand. There are five elements that all balance each other out: fire, water, wood, metal, and earth. Just like you might have guessed, fire is associated with the color red. The color red is also associated with the cardinal direction south. (Wuxing) Vermilion bird is one of the four mystical creatures to guard a cardinal direction. It is said to guard the south of course. (Strassberg)

10 | RED

Japan

“The Land of the Rising Sun” is the nickname given to Japan. The flag is all white with a red circle in the middle signifying the red sun. Just like in China, the color red represents good luck, power and sometimes even anger.

They also liked to decorate their tableware with vermilion made from cinnabar and lacquer. The sun god Amaterasu is often portrayed to be wearing a white and red kimono.

RED | 11

History

Ancient Egypt Desher is the word used for red in Ancient Egypt. This color is associated with blood, energy, anger, and even destruction. Red was made with ochre and oxidized iron. This color was used to make skin tones on hieroglyphics paintings. (Mark)

Eye of Ra

Ra is the god of the sun in Ancient Egypt Mythology. The Eye of Ra is not Ra’s eye like you would have thought, but a separate entity. The Eye of Ra is described as violent in order to protect Ra. the way she was represented was by a red disk with snakes wrapped around it. Another way people know her is with the symbol of the Eye of Horus. People during that time would wear red amulets in order to repel any evil energy. (The Eye of Ra - Meaning of the Eye of Ra: Eye of Ra Power)

12 | RED

Deshret

The crowns wore by Egyptian kings were called Pschents. This crown is split into two parts each representing north and south regions of Egypt: the White Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt and the Red Deshret Crown Of Lower Egypt. (Pschent) Interesting how both Egypt and China associate red with the south.

RED | 13

History

Christianity When it comes to Christianity, there are two prominent colors that appear in paintings and that is blue and red. The Virgin Mary is often depicted wearing blue and red so is Jesus Christ. Sometimes he will also wear a white robe with a red cloth wrapping his left side. The color red represents love, fire, blood, passion, and energy in Christianity. (Color Symbolism in Christianity)

Devotion of the Sacred Heart

Have you ever seen a painting of Jesus Christ and wondered what the red heart on red fire with the heart on top was? That is called the Sacred Heart. It is a symbol of Jesus’s unlimited love for mankind.

Holy Blood

Holy Blood usually refers to the blood of Christ that was shed when he was being crucified. In Catholicism, wine is served during church to represent the blood of Christ.

14 | RED

Holy Week and Pentecost

Pastors will wear red on Palm Sunday and the next three days after that. Palm Sunday celebrates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. Pastors will also wear red on Pentecost Day because it signifies the fire in everyone’s hearts. It is also a symbol for the holy spirit. (Practices of Faith: Liturgical Colors)

Oudem

Oudem is used many times in the bible and it means “red clay”. Oudem also is the root word for humanity, red can also the unification of humankind. (Kalu)

RED | 15

History

Hindu Sindoor

Vermilion, also known as sindoor in Hinduism, is used in many ways. Sindoor is used to put a bindi on somebody’s forehead. Sometimes they might even spread the powder all throughout their hairline. (Dasgupta) This was done because some people claimed that sindoor was rich in iron which would help with childbirth farther along their lives.

16 | RED

Bindi

The color red plays a very significant part in Hinduism. Have you ever wondered why some people wear a piece of red jewelry or mark a red dot on their forehead? That is called a Bindi. (Color Symbolism in Hiduism) On a woman, a bindi can represent marriage but it can also mean your third eye. There are seven main chakras that are all over one’s body. The brow chakra or the third eye chakra is located where the bindi is placed. The third eye is a way on how one can keep an eye on god, a reminder that one should always be thinking of god. (The Purpose of the Bindi)

RED | 17

Psychology

Psychology of the Color Red The amount of impact the color red has on people is still unknown. Red tends to make our heart race because of the intensity it might give. Red invokes anger, energy and intensity. Sometimes people use this phenomena to their advantage.

Color Therapy

Color therapy, aka Chromotherapy is based on the idea that color can change your biology of your body. It is said to treat mental illness and other abnormalities in the body. People take advantage of this by painting their rooms a certain color. For example: people have painted the inside of hospitals blue and white because the use of cool colors calms people 18 | RED

down and lowers your heart rate. Red on the other hand, is used to raise blood circulation. The color red is always never used in rooms because of its intensity. Not much is currently known about chromotherapy. Some even consider this to be pseudoscience or even a placebo effect taking place. If you are told that a color is supposed make you feel some type of way and you believe them, your brain is going to trick you into feeling that way.

HOW DOES THE COLOR RED MAKE

YOU FEEL? RED | 19

Psychology

Red in Nature Red has the ability to grab our attention the fastest because of the dangers the color may represent in the wilderness. Seeing bright red blood on the floor in the forest may mean that there might be a predator nearby. Red on animals and plants may mean that they might be poisonous. The term for it is called aposematism is a warning given to any predator that might pose a threat to a plant or animal telling them that they are venomous. (Santos et al.) The fly agaric is a red mushroom with white spots all over, the most generic mushroom represented in media, that is highly poisonous. There are also plenty of red berries that are very poisonous. Along with plants, some bright red animals are poisonous as well. The Cinnabar Caterpillar has toxins that if touched, it will give you rashes and make your skin itch for days.

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Psychology

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Psychology

Red in the City There is design in everything. Everything was designed intentionally and with a purpose to serve. If you see something red in the city, it was most likely put there to catch your attention as a warning that there might be something up ahead. For example, a red stop sign is telling you that there is an intersection up ahead and you need to stop to let others go. Because of the way red invokes strong emotions in people, companies use this effective tool to get the attention of people.

24 | RED

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Science

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Interviews

Erico Vitto Rolleri Do you like the color red? Why or why not? I do like the color red because it’s a color of empowerment and confidence.

How does the color red make you feel?

The color red when looking at it can feel very intimidating like it holds some sort of power over me. When wearing the color red it can make me feel bolder as a person. I become a more confident me because of how much the color can stand out.

Does anything ever make you feel red? –

When feeling red I feel like I’m in a role. I feel like I can keep winning our moving forward at a fast pace and just doing overall better. That’s when I feel red.

What number do you associate with the color red? 17

28 | RED

What memory do you associate with the color red?

When I was going really fast downhill on a bike and ended up completely crashing on concrete and broke my left wrist and fractured my right wrist. The funniest and worst day of my childhood.

What smell do you associate with the color red? Roses and cinnamon

Would you ever dye your skin red?

No that seems like too much work and would create like an “eyes on me” type of look.

Do you see the color red? Every day of my life.

RED | 29

Interviews

Paige Nearon Do you like the color red? Why or why not?

Yes, I love the color r d. it reminds me of warmth and fire and gives me a cozy feeling.

How does the color red make you feel?

It makes me feel warm, makes me feel almost powerful when I’m wearing ed. It’s a very in-your-face color and makes me feel warm and sure of myself.

What number do you associate with the color red? 14

What memory do you associate with the color red?

My first memory of red isn’t very good. It’s actually my very first memory at all and it was at my great grandpa’s funeral and there was a low d light everywhere.

30 | RED

What smell do you associate with the color red? Spicy foods, like cajun or hot sauce.

Would you ever dye your skin red? No, but I would get red tattoos.

Do you see the color red?

Sometimes, I can see it around other people.

RED | 31

Interviews

Divine Sta. Maria Do you like the color red? Why or why not? The color ed is a color that scares me.

It’s a bold color. It’s the color of intensity and extreme passion and so it intimidates me.

How does the color red make you feel?

RE makes me anxious. It scares me a little bit because I associate it with “danger” or “strong passion”. It’s a very intimidating color. And as a person that avoids conflict, is not a color that I enjoy seeing because it puts me on alert.

REd

Does anything ever make you feel red?

red

32 | RED

A number I associate with clue why.

r ed

... is 18. No

DO YOU SEE THE COLOR RED?

I see the color RED when I am....

ANGRY

When I feel , I feel anger... frustration.. and they are both feelings that don’t make me feel good.

What number do you associate

with the color red?

RED | 33

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SHUT

UP!

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Red in my Head I HATE THE COLOR RED. IT IS SO UGLY. RED CLOTHES ARE UGLY. RED CARS ARE UGLY, RED FOOD IS SPI

CY AND UGLY. RED PLANTS ARE DANGEROUS, RED ANIMALS CAN KILL ME.

RED ON MY SKIN IS BAD. WAY TOO BRIGHT, IT STANDS OUT WAY TOO MUCH. WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO STAND OUT? MAKES ME ANGRY. RED IS SUCH A CONFUSING COLOR. NOT ONLY DOES IT REPRESENT RAGE,

BUT ALSO LOVE AND WARMTH. THOSE TWO THINGS ARE CONTRADICTORY, MAKE UP DESTRUCTION, AND DEATH,

38 | RED

YOUR MIND RED. RED IS STUPID. I WISH

RED DIDN’T EXIST. RED IS SCARY. I DON’T LIKE RED AND RED DOESN’T LIKE ME. WHY DID I EVEN MAKE A BOOK ABOUT THE COLOR RED? SHOULD HAVE BEEN BLUE, SHOULD HAVE BEEN GREEN, SHOULD HAVE BEEN YELLOW. NOW ALL I SEE IS THE COLOR

RED.

I HATE RED,

RED,

I HATE

I HATE RED!

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