Celebrating the Colour Red
Posted by Kim Soep on
Patricia Paolozzi Cain's 'In tea leaves or palms. Be patient in whatever comes' mixed media artwork 75 cm x 106 cm.
What better time to talk about red than at the start of winter. Crimsons, coppers, russets, plum reds and sienna are just a few shades associated with this time of year. Amongst the reds on show is the scarlet of rosehips, holly and hawthorn berries. They bejewel the hedgerows and provide a vital food source for birdlife throughout the winter. Appropriately, the colour of these life-giving berries is seen by many around the world as an emblem of vitality and life-giving energy – after all blood is red, the very essence of life itself. In fact, it is red’s association with blood (amongst other things) that makes it an auspicious colour in China. On special occasions, money enclosed in red envelopes (a symbol of good luck) are given as gifts, and on Chinese New Year red lanterns are lit to ward off evil spirits. It is also worn at weddings and other celebrations.
Sally Fitchard 'Little Red' ceramic sculpture 11.5 cm x 8.4 cm x 11. 2 cm
Red is a celebratory colour in the West too. Coupled with green, it is evocative of Christmas and is of course the colour of Santa Clause’s iconic suit and Rudolph’s nose to boot! Then there’s mulled wine, poinsettias, red breasted robins, and holly berries, all of which radiate the very character of Christmas itself.
But it is red’s affinity with fire and warmth that makes it a shade we seek out in winter – a salve to abate the seasonal blues. So to warm our cockles and cheer us all up this winter, here are some artworks by a variety of Broth artists that celebrate red in all its splendour.
To browse even more artworks in red, click here.
Sarah J. Stanley 'Milk & Honey 3' oil on board, 30.5 cm x 30.5 cm
Maureen Nathan 'Grace and Chaos', oil on paper, 50x50cm, float framed 2020. Longlisted for the John Moore's Painting Prize 2020 NFS