Purple is a secondary color that is made by mixing red and blue light or pigment. It appears between red and blue on the visible spectrum. The complementary color of purple is yellow. There are a few key reasons why purple contains hints of both pink and blue:
The Visible Spectrum
The visible spectrum represents the colors that the human eye can see. The visible spectrum ranges from violet at around 380-450 nm to red at around 620-750 nm. The three primary colors are red, green, and blue. When red and blue light are mixed together, the result is purple light.
On the visible spectrum, purple sits between the primary colors of red and blue. Violet light has the shortest wavelength while red has the longest. Since purple is a mix of red and blue, it contains wavelengths that are in between violet and red. This gives purple a hint of both pink and blue hues.
Color Pigments
When it comes to pigments, the primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. Secondary colors are created by mixing primary pigments. Purple pigment is made by mixing red and blue pigments together.
Since purple contains both red and blue pigments, it takes on reddish-pink hues from the red pigment and bluish hues from the blue pigment. The more red pigment used, the more pink the purple will appear. The more blue pigment used, the more blue the purple will look.
The Pigment Mixing Scale
The mixing of pigments can be represented on a color wheel or linear scale:
| Red | Red-Violet | Violet | Blue-Violet | Blue |
|---|
On this scale, pure purple sits between violet and blue-violet. As you move from violet toward red-violet, the purple takes on more pinkish hues. As you move from blue-violet toward blue, the purple takes on more bluish tones.
So again, since purple is a mix of the two primary colors red and blue, it naturally contains visual properties of both pink (from red) and blue. The proportions of each primary color determine whether the purple leans more pink or more blue.
Light Versus Pigment
It’s important to note the difference between colored light and colored pigment. As mentioned above, the primary colors are different for light (red, blue, green) compared to pigments (red, yellow, blue).
This distinction affects how the secondary colors are made. Purple light is a mix of red and blue light. Purple paint is a mix of red and blue pigment.
In both cases, purple contains parts of red and blue. But for light, the red adds a pinkish tone. For paint, the blue adds a bluish tone. So purple ends up with hints of both pink and blue, but through slightly different mechanisms for light versus pigment.
Natural Pigments that Make Purple
In nature, there are a few key pigments that can be used to create the color purple:
| Pigment | Source |
|---|---|
| Magenta | Cochineal insects, currants |
| Tyrian purple | Murex sea snails |
| Orchil | Roccella lichens |
Most natural purple pigments are cool in tone, containing hints of blue. However, magenta from cochineal insects or currants has a slightly warmer, pinkish tone.
So again, the particular pigments used to make purple affect whether it appears more pink or more blue. But in general, purple inherits components of both colors.
Cultural and Historical Associations
The cultural associations attached to the color purple also give it links to both pink and blue.
In many cultures, purple is associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, and ambition. This associates purple with extravagance and femininity, similar to the color pink.
However, purple is also associated with mystery, creativity, imagination, and wisdom. These traits are more strongly linked to the color blue.
So purple’s cultural meanings connect it to pink in some ways and blue in other ways. This contributes to purple having visual properties of both colors.
Shades of Purple
There are many shades of purple, from light to dark. Some shades appear more pink, others more blue.
| Shade | Appearance |
|---|---|
| Lilac | Very pale purple, pinkish tone |
| Lavender | Soft light purple, subtle blue tones |
| Orchid | Light purple-pink |
| Purple | Pure purple, balanced red and blue mix |
| Violet | Purple with increased blue tones |
| Eggplant | Deep rich purple with more blue |
| Amethyst | Deepest purple, strong blue tones |
Lighter, pinker shades of purple like lilac and orchid get their red/pink hues from adding more red or magenta pigment. Darker, bluer shades like violet and amethyst use more blue pigment in the mix.
So the wide range of purple shades provides further examples of how purple can take on pink or blue qualities based on the specific pigments and proportions used.
Laser and Light Experiments
Interesting effects occur when red and blue lasers or lights mix. Red light and blue light combine to make purple light.
But depending on the angle they intersect and other conditions, the purple light can shift in hue. Sometimes it appears more pinkish, other times more blueish.
This shows that purple inherently contains both red and blue parts. Under certain situations, one component color may dominate, causing shifts between pink and blue tones. But the essential mix of primary colors remains the same.
Computer and TV Screens
On screens like computer monitors and TVs, colors are produced using combinations of red, blue, and green light. Purple on a screen is made by lighting up both the red and blue pixels.
Like with lasers, adjusting the intensity of the red vs. blue pixels will make the purple take on more pink or blue hues. This demonstrates again that purple is a red-blue mix.
Interestingly, true purple does not actually exist for light. There is no single wavelength of visible light that is pure purple. What we see as purple is our eyes and brain combining the sensations of red and blue light.
Conclusion
In summary, the color purple contains visual properties of both pink and blue because:
– Purple sits between red and blue on the visible spectrum of light. Mixing wavelengths of red and blue light produces purple light.
– Purple pigment is created by mixing red and blue pigments. The red contributes a pinkish tone while the blue contributes a bluish tone.
– Natural purple pigments like magenta and Tyrian purple contain different levels of pinkish-red and blue tones.
– Cultural associations give purple links to feminine pink as well as mystical blue.
– Different shades of purple, from light to dark, display more dominant pink or blue characteristics.
– Mixing red and blue light under varying conditions produces purple light that shifts from pink to blue.
– On digital screens, purple is a mix of red and blue pixels. Adjusting their intensities alters the purple’s pink-blue balance.
So in all areas of color science and perception, purple inherits components of both pink and blue by being a mix of the two primary colors red and blue. The proportion of each primary determines where the purple shade falls along the pink to blue scale.
