Saturday, June 18, 2011

blue...in religion

blue symbolizes God's glory in Judaism



Nazar charms are commonly used as amulets (folk religious artifacts) in the Near East to protect against the evil eye.


In Buddhism, blue (lapis lazuli) is a color representing healing and purity.



Virgin Mary and Christ are often depicted in blue for various theological reasons. First, as blue represents God's glory in Judaism, Mary wears it as a symbol of her carrying Christ and her own immaculate conception. The cloth covering the Ark of the Covenant was also blue, so Mary (the "New Ark" carrying Jesus) is appropriately covered in blue cloth. Finally, this type of blue cloak represented an empress in the Byzantine Empire, which is where most of today's iconography has its roots.



Several Hindu avatars are depicted with blue skin. Apparently, Krishna (pictured above) is represented with blue skin because he drank the poison intended by the demons to kill humanity thus impairing his normal breathing mechanisms and turning his skin blue.



While Islam is typically represented by green as it is generally accepted as the color of holiness and paradise, blue is frequently used in Turkey, Central Asia, and Iran as a symbol of purity and protection.




Saturday, May 29, 2010

blue in painting:

Blue is an essential color for the artist's palette, ranging from ultramarine to prussian to indigo. Some artists (most notably, Picasso) even have a "blue period" in which they paint using mostly blues accented with other colors. Here are a few examples of some paintings which emphasize the mystery and beauty of blue.

Blau, Vasily Kandinsky



Blue Water Lillies, Claude Monet



Lady in Blue, Camille Corot



Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh



The Old Guitarist, Pablo Picasso (Blue Period)



Still Life, Patrick Caulfield



Dance (I), Henri Matisse



Abstraction Blue, Georgia O'Keeffe



Red and Blue, Ellsworth Kelly



Blue Dancers, Edgar Degas (my favorite)



Friday, May 28, 2010

blue national flags:

While many flags include blue, several nations have made blue the main color of their flag. Here's a few:


Antarctica




Argentina




Aruba





Botswana





Democratic Republic of Congo





El Salvador





Estonia






Finland






Greece





Honduras



Israel





Kazakhstan





Marshall Islands





Micronesia





Nauru





Nicaragua





Scotland





Somalia



Uruguay

blue.... people?

while this is far less common than other blue things, there are a few noteworthy examples of... well, blue people. Take a look:




Meet the Fugate family of Kentucky. While this is a color-tinted photograph, members of this family lived with a real (and extremely rare) condition known as Methemoglobinemia which results in a bluish tint to the skin.





The Tuareg of the Sahara region are known for their use of indigo dye. Often, they wear indigo-dyed material enough that it begins to dye their skin.





Meet Paul Karason. He's been using colloidal silver. Read more about his story here: http://www.kval.com/news/local/12648491.html





Of course, there's the Blue Man Group. Try to get them to talk to you.





Last but not least... our Avatar friends. Looks like there are a few blue humanoids after all.


Thursday, May 27, 2010

blue flora:


flax




lobelia




delphinium




forget-me-not




bluebells




bachelor's buttons




pansy




delphinium




jacaranda tree