The debate over whether red or blue came first throughout history is an interesting one. There are arguments on both sides, with evidence pointing to the use of both colors in ancient times. To determine which color truly came first, we need to look at the earliest evidence of red and blue dyes and pigments across different cultures and time periods.
Earliest Evidence of Red Dyes and Pigments
The earliest evidence of red coloring comes from prehistoric cave paintings, some dating back over 40,000 years. Archaeologists have found prehistoric pictures of animals with reddish ochre pigments made from iron oxide-rich clays. This primitive red pigment was readily available in many parts of the world, making it one of the earliest colors used in art.
In Ancient Egypt, red ochre was used in burials and cosmetics around 5000 BC. The Egyptians developed a synthetic pigment known as Egyptian blue in 2500 BC, which contained red ochre mixed with other minerals. Red ochre continued to be a popular pigment throughout the ancient world, appearing in murals, pottery, and manuscripts from Mesopotamia, Greece, and the Roman Empire.
The earliest evidence of the red dye madder comes from the Indus Valley Civilization circa 2500 BC. Madder was made from the roots of the madder plant and became one of the most important red dyes used across Asia and Europe until the 19th century.
Other significant ancient red dyes include kermes and cochineal. Kermes, derived from insect larvae, was used by the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians, Hebrews, and Arabs to dye fabrics red. Cochineal, another red dye made from insects, was used by the Aztecs and appears prominently in pre-Columbian Mexican artwork.
Earliest Evidence of Blue Dyes and Pigments
The earliest known blue pigment is Egyptian blue, first synthesized around 2500 BC. Made from copper, sand, natron and lime, it was the first synthetic pigment created. Egyptian blue adorned artifacts, statues, and monuments throughout ancient Egypt. The pigment spread to Mesopotamia and the Near East by 1500 BC and was later used by the ancient Greeks, Romans, and in the Byzantine Empire.
Indigo, derived from several species of plants, is one of the oldest blue dyes in the world. Native to India, indigo was mentioned in the oldest known Indian text, the Rig Veda, thought to date back to 1500 BC. Indigo pigment has been found in blue beads excavated from ancient Mesopotamian tombs dated to around 4000 BC.
The ancient Phoenicians were masters of indigo dyeing and spread their indigo-dyed fabrics along trade routes throughout the Mediterranean. By 620-550 BC, the blue hue of Phoenician cloths was highly prized in ancient Greece. The Greeks referred to the vibrant color as phoenikoun, meaning “Phoenician”.
Woad, a blue dye produced from the Isatis tinctoria plant, was used by the ancient Britons to paint their bodies blue prior to battles. After the Roman conquest, woad was used for dyeing fabrics and remained a popular blue dye in medieval Europe until it was replaced by indigo from Asia and Central America.
Early Red and Blue Symbolism
While both red and blue appear early in human history, red seems to have held greater cultural, religious, and spiritual significance in ancient times. Red ochre was thought to represent blood, life, and vitality across many prehistoric cultures and was linked to fertility and ceremonial rituals. The warm, fiery hue of red associated it with passion, danger, and power.
Ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews used red symbolically. It represented life, celebration, and protection to Egyptians; happiness and good fortune to the Chinese; and sin, blood, and sacrifice to Hebrews. Red dyes like madder were also prohibitively expensive, restricting their use by royalty, nobility, and priests.
Blue held less symbolic meaning in most early cultures, beyond the natural associations with the sky, water, and heavens. However, ancient Egyptians did associate blue with creation, rebirth, and the afterlife. Blue also slowly gained status as it became more expensive and difficult to produce than red dyes like madder.
By medieval times in Europe blue had become a sign of high status and purity, represented in religious iconography and depictions of the Virgin Mary. Its rarity and cost meant only royalty and nobles could afford deep blues like ultramarine, made from rare lapis lazuli. Aztec conquests in search of indigo and cochineal dyes showed blue’s growing importance in Mesoamerica as well.
Scientific Analysis of Ancient Pigments
Modern analytical techniques have allowed scientists to determine the composition of pigments found in prehistoric cave paintings and ancient artifacts. Spectroscopy, chromatography, and microscopy can precisely identify the source minerals, plants or animals used to produce red and blue pigments thousands of years ago.
Laser-ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) found the earliest red ochre pigments were made by prehistoric humans grinding up red hematite or cuprorivaite minerals. Red ochre residues from a 100,000 year old site in South Africa were traced to local iron-rich shales.
Egyptian blue from 3rd millennium BC tomb paintings was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confirmed to contain crystals of cuprorivaite, indicating a high temperature manufacturing process.
HPLC analysis of madder-dyed textile fragments from the Iron Age site Hallstatt showed the red dye alizarin was identical to that produced by the common madder plant, Rubia tinctorum. Mass spectrometry detected indigotin in blue fibers from Huaca Prieta, an ancient ceremonial site in coastal Peru, confirming the use of indigo blue over 6000 years ago.
Key Developments in Red and Blue Pigments
| Time Period | Key Pigments |
|---|---|
| 40,000 BC | Red ochre |
| 6,000 BC | Azurite (blue) |
| 2,500 BC | Egyptian blue |
| 1,500 BC | Indigo |
| 1,200 BC | Tyrian purple (reddish purple) |
| 800 AD | Maya blue |
| 1225 | Carmine, vermilion |
| 1404 | Cobalt blue glazes |
| 1669 | Prussian blue |
| 1704 | Red lake pigments |
| 1828 | Alizarin crimson |
| 1859 | Cobalt violet |
This timeline shows some of the major developments in red and blue pigments throughout history. While red ochre and Azurite blue were used in prehistoric times, the earliest synthetics emerged in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia with Egyptian blue and Tyrian purple.
Medieval manuscript illuminators introduced rich reds like vermilion and carmine for illustrated texts. The Maya invented Maya blue in Mesoamerica, while cobalt blue revolutionized blue pigments in Europe during the Renaissance. Modern synthetic reds and blues like alizarin crimson, Prussian blue, and cobalt violet arrived alongside advances in organic chemistry from the 18th century onward.
Primary Colors in Color Theory
Red, blue, and yellow are considered the three primary colors in traditional color theory. When mixed together in different combinations and proportions, they can create all other hues. Vermeer’s depiction of a red, yellow and blue tablecloth in “The Milkmaid” (c. 1660) is one of the earliest examples of primary colors in art.
The English philosopher George Field was the first to formally identify red, blue and yellow as primary hues in his “Chromatics” treatise in 1817. Field showed that with red, blue and yellow pigment, all other pigment colors could be obtained through mixing.
While the red-yellow-blue (RYB) primaries work for mixing pigments, red, blue and green are considered the primary colors of light. When red, blue and green light mix additively, they can produce the appearance of any hue. Modern televisions, computers, and other display devices use mixtures of red, green and blue light (RGB) to render colors.
History of Red and Blue in Art
Throughout art history, red and blue pigments were among the most frequently used to create paintings. Egyptian red ochre and Greek madder appeared in ancient artworks. The reds vermilion and red lake were prized by medieval and Renaissance painters. Vermilion features prominently in Monet’s “Impression Sunrise” (1872) while cobalt blue was a favorite of Picasso.
The development of synthetic red and blue pigments closely paralleled innovations in painting. As new pigments emerged, artists incorporated these vivid hues into their work. The pre-Impressionists were among the first artists to use emerging synthetic colors like Prussian blue, cobalt violet, and alizarin crimson to create bold, vivid landscapes and portraits.
In the 20th century, abstract artists like Wassily Kandinsky and Mark Rothko made dramatic use of pure blues, reds, and other hues unencumbered by realism. Pop artists like Andy Warhol adopted the bright, unnatural reds and blues of commercial printing and advertising in their artwork as consumer culture burgeoned.
Conclusion
The debate over red versus blue is ultimately something of a historical tie. Red pigments and dyes appeared very early across prehistoric cultures and ancient civilizations. But blue was also used extensively in the form of natural indigo, spanning from Asia to the Americas. While red may have held greater ceremonial and spiritual meaning, blue also emerged as a rare and luxurious hue.
From a preservation standpoint, more evidence of early red pigments like ochre have survived over millennia compared to more ephemeral natural blue dyes. But scientifically, ancient examples of both red and blue have been identified and characterized in artifacts across the globe.
In color theory and art, red and blue are considered two of the primary hues and their emergence drove innovation in pigments and painting. Ultimately, there is evidence of ancient worldwide use of both colors, with no clear answer to which definitively came first historically.