Ma. Angela Luz L.

Espinosa
TFA 20
Red: The Color that I Hate the Most but a lot of People Love It
Supposedly the second most favorite color of most people is the color Red. I honestly
hate red for the reason that I do not know. Maybe the reason why most people love it is because
there are so many attached meanings to this color. Red can be a symbol for hate and love. It can
also be a symbol for a revolt, since to fight for something involves blood. It can also represent
passion, since red seems to be a fiery warm color. All these connotations attached to the color red
could be the reason why people like it so much, but surely the color red doesnt only add a pop of
color to artworks but it can also add a whole new feel.
Through the course of the history of Art the color red has been used in different artworks.
It was used in cave paintings, textiles, frescoes and even tattoos. This paper will explore the
presence and interpretations of the color red through various artworks from different time periods
and cultures.
One of the first ever artworks to have the color red was the
The Bison at the Altimira cave in Northern Spain. The Upper
Paleolithic people were able to make this red color by using ironrich ochre and diluting it using an animals blood. By diluting the
pigment the Upper Paleolithic cave painter was able to create
diverse shades of red. More so, the color red was used in this
painting because the color palette in the Paleolithic was mainly a
collection of warm colors. Red was possibly used in this artwork not only because of availability
but because the Bison can represent the source of life of these people. Red can symbolize life
since the color of blood is red. Furthermore, it could be that they colored the Bison red since
these people hunt the Bison for food in which gives them energy to keep on living.

Moving on to the next artwork is this statue of Seth, the

god of chaos in Egypt. Seth is not only known for being the god
of chaos but he is also known for murdering his own brother
Osiris. Seth is mainly represented with red eyes and hair since
he is evil. Another reason why the color red is associated with
this Egyptian deity is probably because of the bloodshed he
caused to his brother. In this statue we can see that the
connotation used for red here is evil and bloodshed. Lastly for
the Egyptians to create red tones they used oxidized iron and red ocher.
Aside from Egyptian statues, the color red can also
be found in Minoan Frescoes, namely in the Griffin
Fresco in Knossos. The subject is a Griffin lying
down with its head up. Griffins are supposedly titled
the king of the beasts and they are also seen as very
powerful creatures. Red can also represent power and
might which is probably why it was it was used in this
fresco. The probable reason why the color red represents power is because it is the color of blood
and fire, and in such a way one must evoke fear to a certain extent to show their power. More so,
this fresco is located in the throne room which probably explains why such a powerful beast was
the chosen subject. In this fresco, the mineral Haematite was used to create a vivid red color.

Apart from western art, the color red has also been widely
used in the different art forms from the Philippines. The color red
can be seen from textiles, paintings, paper craft and even from
tribal body art. Here we have the traditional mans head cloth from
the Tausug tribe called Pis Siyabit. This textile mainly has
abstract geometric shapes since the Tausug people are muslim and
their art should only be nonrepresentational images. They also use
natural dyes in order to color their cloths. The Tausug people are brave seafarers who are known
for their vast knowledge of the sea and their will to protect their people. The red color could
represent their bravery and their passion to give out their lives (blood) to protect their land.
Lastly, the final artwork that I will
talk about is the detail of the mural by
Botong Francisco titled History of
Manila. Here is shows Bonifacio
leading his men into battle. Their
expressions show anger towards the
Spaniards and the willingness to fight
for their country. Behind Bonifacio is the KKK flag swaying in the background. The use of red
here can represent their feelings of anger towards the Spaniards and it can connote as a symbol
of revolt. Red is a warm color, which is sometimes associated with fire. The color red in this
detail could represent the need for change since if you want to change something, one must set it
on fire and start anew from the ashes.
The use of the color red has been prevalent over different cultures and time periods. From
the Upper Paleolithic era up to the modern times, the color red can be seen in a lot of artworks.
More so, this color doesnt have one definite meaning, since the context of it varies from artwork
to artwork. It is interesting that one color can mean so many things depending on what your
subject is and how you use that color to create a certain mood. In the end, the color I least like
was once and will always be seen in artworks for as long as humans are alive.