Purple is a color that evokes mystery, creativity, and royalty. It occupies an intriguing space on the color wheel between red and blue. One interesting question about the color purple is whether light violet should be considered a shade of purple or its own distinct color. In examining this question, we need to look at the origins of the color purple, how it is defined, and where light violet fits into the color spectrum.
The Origins of the Color Purple
Purple has a long and storied history as a rare and valued pigment. In ancient times, purple dye could only be produced from a species of sea snail known as murex. Thousands of snails had to be gathered to produce just a small amount of purple dye, making it extremely precious. As a result, purple fabric became associated with royalty, nobility, and high status. The rarity and cost of purple dye gave rise to the phrase “born to the purple” to denote someone of royal birth.
Tyrian purple, also known as royal purple, was the most prized shade and produced only by the murex sea snail. It was a rich, deep reddish purple that was highly valued in ancient Rome. Lighter or brighter shades of purple were likely achieved by mixing the precious Tyrian purple dye with other substances. So lighter purples have also been important historically, even though they lacked the same prestige as Tyrian purple.
Defining the Color Purple
When we ask what shades count as purple today, we need to start by defining what we mean by purple. The first step is looking at the visible spectrum of light. Sir Isaac Newton was the first to demonstrate that white light contains all the colors of the rainbow, dispersing into different wavelengths when passing through a prism. Violet light has the shortest wavelength visible to the human eye, while red light has the longest visible wavelength.
Based on its position at the end of the visible spectrum, violet can be defined as a pure spectral color with its own specific wavelength of light. Purple, on the other hand, is not part of the visible spectrum. There is no single wavelength of light that is purple. Rather, purple arises when our eyes perceive the blending of red and blue light. This makes purple a non-spectral color, meaning it exists as a perception rather than a single wavelength.
Defining Shades of Purple
While purple itself lacks a fixed wavelength or hue, various shades of purple can still be defined based on the mixing of red and blue light. When more red than blue is mixed, purples take on a ruddier, pinkish tone. With more blue, purples become cooler and closer to an indigo or violet.
The following table shows some common shades of purple and their approximate locations between red and violet on the color wheel:
| Purple Shade | Description |
|---|---|
| Violet | Closest to the violet part of the color spectrum, with only a small amount of red mixed with blue |
| Royal purple | More balanced mix of red and blue, slightly less blue than violet |
| Blue-violet | Moving toward blue yet still purple, created by mixing more blue with red |
| Red-violet | Mix of red and blue leaning toward red, a reddish purple |
As shown here, violet sits closest to the violet end of the spectrum with the least red influence. Shades like royal purple and blue-violet have more blue mixed in, while red-violet mixes in more red. All these shades blend red and blue light and are considered types of purple.
Is Light Violet a Purple?
Given these definitions of purple and violet, where does light violet fit in? Light violet contains a relatively high proportion of blue compared to red. It falls between violet and blue-violet on the color wheel. This places it clearly on the purple side of the spectrum rather than the blue side.
While light violet is pale compared to darker, richer purples, it still qualifies as a shade of purple based on its stronger blue character compared to red. Some key identifying traits of light violet:
– Hue is closer to violet than red
– Tone is muted and soft compared to pure violet
– Less saturation and intensity than royal or blue-violet purples
– Distinctly separate from, yet still blending toward, blue
Light violet’s muted tones evoke a soft, delicate feeling compared to the drama of deeper or brighter purples. Think of pale purple flowers or a ballerina’s tutu. In fashion, light violet has a vintage, feminine vibe. In design, it reads as soothing, floral and romantic. Still, despite its paleness, on the color wheel light violet unequivocally falls into the purple family.
Cultural Associations of Light Violet
The cultural associations of light violet also connect it to the color purple instead of blue. Purple is associated with spirituality, creativity, wisdom and mystery. Light violet carries these same connotations while feeling softer, more nostalgic and gentle compared to a bold royal purple.
Specifically, pale purple shades evoke floral imagery and springtime blooms. Light violet is connected to flowers like lavender and lilac. It also has a traditional feminine appeal related to dressing little girls in pastel purples. Light violet has a vintage feel, evoking black-and-white photo tinting and items like Victorian hair combs.
All these cultural associations clearly fit under the umbrella of purple instead of blue. Blue has very different connotations related to masculinity, confidence, intelligence, and stability. While light violet contains some blue, its personality aligns more closely with purple. This reflects its position of blending red and blue while remaining on the purple side of the color wheel.
Scientific Definitions of Light Violet
Scientifically speaking, light violet can also be defined as a purple rather than a blue based on color models that classify color hues. These models assign colors specific hue values, chroma/saturation levels, and brightness levels.
For example, in the HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) color space, light violet colors have hue values in the range of 270-295, reflecting their position between violet and blue-violet. Saturation levels are medium-low, and lightness is high since this is a light, soft shade.
Similarly, on the HSV (hue, saturation, value) model, light violets fall halfway between purple and blue, with moderate to low saturation and high value/brightness. And in the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) system, light violets are created by combining mostly magenta and cyan with very little yellow—a mixture aligned with purple.
Across scientific color models, light violet consistently exhibits intermediate hue values corresponding to purple, moderate saturation, and high lightness or value. All of this supports classifying light violet as a pale, soft shade of purple rather than a distinct color unto itself.
Distinguishing Light Violet from Lavender
In addition to light purple, light violet is sometimes compared to lavender. While lavender also represents a light, delicate purple, there are some key differences between these two pastel shades:
– Lavender contains more red and less blue than light violet
– Light violet is closer to a true purple while lavender starts shifting toward pink
– Lavender is associated more with aromatherapy and herbs, light violet with flowers
– Light violet retains a slightly cooler, bluer quality than the warmth of lavender
These distinctions reveal how light violet is closer to true violet on the color wheel than lavender is. So lavender is better categorized as a light pinkish purple separate from light violet.
Conclusion
Based on its blend of red and blue, muted tones, and cultural associations, light violet clearly fits the definition of a pale purple shade despite its lightness. It occupies a space between true violet and blue that aligns it with other purple varieties in terms of hue, unlike lavender which shifts toward red and pink undertones. The balance of evidence indicates that yes, light violet should indeed be classified as a type of purple, not as its own distinct color. This fascinating pastel shade demonstrates the complexity and nuances within the broad family that makes up the color purple.
