Red

Fury, fire, love, war, joy, luck, speed, power, or passion. What does the color red bring to mind? Perhaps red has meaning in every culture because it has played a role in human culture since the dawn of history.

Fire or anger. Love or joy. Red has different meanings in every culture, and it’s important in all of them. Maybe that’s because red has been around since prehistoric times.

Ochre is the oldest known pigment. It is approximately 300,000 years old—appearing in cave paintings—and is still used today. Ochre is an iron oxide, which is basically clay earth. The color can be light yellow, green, and even purple. But most often, it’s red. Since it is found on every continent, it has been used to make art almost everywhere in history.

In Australia, people were using ochre more than 40,000 years ago, and artists there still use it today. Ochre is made of earth, and it is often used to represent Earth and its inhabitants. An artist from an Aboriginal community in Australia’s Northern Territory created the painting below in 1972. What animals can you identify, represented in ochres on bark?

The oldest known pigment is called ochre (OH-kur). The clay-like substance was used to make cave paintings 300,000 years ago. Ochre can be light yellow, green, and even purple. But most often it’s red. The pigment forms naturally in soils on every continent. It has been used to make art almost everywhere on Earth—and it’s still in use today.

In Australia, Aboriginal (or native) peoples have used ochre for at least 40,000 years. Like in the example below, they often use it to make art showing the Earth and those who live here.

French artist Henri Matisse loved color—especially red. In his 1908 Harmony in Red, above, Matisse uses red to paint most of the scene. Then he creates the illusion of three-dimensional space by adding black outlines and swirling blue decorative patterns.

There is no focal point; instead, color is the subject of the painting. “Color was not given to us in order that we should imitate Nature,” Matisse says, but “so that we can express our own emotions.” What does this painting make you feel?

French artist Henri Matisse loved color—especially red. The 1908 painting above is called Harmony in Red. Matisse uses red to paint most of the scene. Then he adds black outlines and swirling blue patterns.

There is no focal point in the painting. Instead, color itself is the subject. Matisse believed the purpose of color was not to copy nature but to express emotions.

Translated from Italian, rosso corsa means racing red. The color is Italy’s national racing color. It is associated with speed and the Ferrari brand.

Rosso corsa means “racing red” in Italian. The color is Italy’s national racing color. It is associated with speed and Ferrari cars.

Look carefully at the surface of the sculpture above, titled As if to Celebrate, I Discovered a Mountain Blooming with Red Flowers. Does it remind you of velvet or piles of spices? British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor (ah-NEESH kah-POR) created each form in the 1981 work using wood, cement, and polystyrene (a synthetic plastic). He painted each with a weak pigment solution and then covered it with loose, dry pigment. Kapoor gently used a brush to make sure no evidence of his touch remained on the surface.

Kapoor has always experimented with materials—especially red ones—in his artwork. “Red is a color I’ve felt very strongly about,” he explains. “It is the color of the interior of our bodies. Red is the center.” Notice how the raw pigment adds richness and depth to the sculpture.

Does the surface of the sculpture above remind you of velvet? Or maybe piles of spices? British-Indian artist Anish Kapoor (ah-NEESH kah- POR) created the work in 1981. He titled it As if to Celebrate, I Discovered a Mountain Blooming with Red Flowers.

Kapoor created the forms using wood, cement, and plastic. He painted each one, then covered it with loose, dry pigment.

Kapoor has always explored materials—especially red ones. “Red is a color I’ve felt very strongly about,” he says. “It is the color of the interior of our bodies. Red is the center.”