Room 48

48.1
Isaac Newton discovered the colour spectrum in 1666 when he split a white beam of light into its component colours. Newton divided the rainbow he saw into seven colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. 

But why seven colours in the rainbow? Newton could have opted for more or fewer (intermediate) colours, but seven was a ‘decent’ Christian number, reflected in the seven days of the week.

The German-American painter and  educator Josef Albers (1888-1976) carried out colour experiments that have served as a source of inspiration for the design of this exhibition. 


48.2
The Christian faith had a great influence on the meaning of colours in society. Devout Christians regarded bright colours as the work of the devil: earthly temptations that must be avoided.

In the Middle Ages, the basic colours were black, white and red. The Bible associated white with good, black with darkness and sin, and red with danger. Both the devil and hell were red. Blue wasn’t initially imbued with any particular meaning, and yellow and green did not have positive associations.

It was for this reason that most religious orders wore robes in restrained colours such as white, grey, brown or black.


48.3
The oldest pigments for dyes come from plants, minerals and animals. Because these dyes were costly, they were reserved for the wealthy. Colourful clothing was found only in the royal courts. Dyed clothes were a status symbol.

For much of history, brown was not considered a festive colour. Poor people wore undyed wool and linen in their natural hues, ranging from beige to dark brown. The Dutch word ‘grauw’ means ‘grey’, ‘drab’ or ‘dull’, but it also means ‘the masses’. This is because in the Middle Ages, the common people wore drab clothes made from undyed wool and linen, in natural shades ranging from cream to brown. In late medieval dress codes, russet was for people with ‘simple professions’, such as farm workers and herders.

This did not change until much later, when Coco Chanel popularised cream, beige, brown and black in the 1920s. 
 

48.4
For centuries, black has been associated with mourning, but also with joyous events. Black has been the fashion colour par excellence since the late Middle Ages. 

After the colourful fashions of the Middle Ages, there was a ‘de-colouring’ of clothing, partly fuelled by the emergence of Calvinism. For this reason, black has been viewed in the West since the sixteenth century as a ‘decent and respectable’ colour. Always appropriate.

The emergence of black as a fashion colour was partly due to new dyeing methods introduced around 1360 that produced a better-quality black.

Later, thanks to Coco Chanel, among others, black was also transformed into a desirable and festive colour: the little black dress was the ultimate outfit for partying and dancing. Today, black is associated with avant-garde fashion, the art world, (Japanese) minimalist fashion and various twentieth-century youth cultures.