Sir Isac Newton and his seven colors of spectral light was said to have shone a beam of light through a prism and had an assistant mark with a pencil the distinct colors of ROYGBIV. Indigo was clearly between blue and Violet, brilliant and separate from both, Indigo has had a very unique reputation in the history of color. Indigo according to Newton was the deep blue before violet, modern color theory shows that what Newton described as blue is sometimes seen as Cyan or sky blue with characteristics of blue green or teal, and not true blue like Indigo was. Indigo is sometimes described as a deep blue, but modern theory in color does not distinguish it from violet and blue. (Hence it’s demotion in the color wheel. It’s like the Pluto of color theory).
I have a deep love for tradition and I think its owed a blog post in its entirety.
Indigo, cornflower blue or Navy (as seen by the eye) is a deep blue almost a blue-violet. It takes its name from the plant used to make the dye Indigofera tinctoria, (sounds like a spell from a Harry Potter book huh?).
(Via Flickr)
Indigo, (like violet), has deep spiritual connotations and is said to motivate spiritual evolution. Surround yourself with it if you want a deeper connection or mood. Like my Blue blog post hues at this end of the color spectrum inspire introspection. I would choose a hue like this for a holistic energy, maybe a spa, yoga or therapy. Here is an example of how the hospitality industry, Hotel Indigo has used the power of this color:
Danny Orstein a commercial designer, designed the Indigo Lounge in Dublin, a concert venue and bar. Mood is what rules especially in late night haunts: “For the Esteemed Concert-Goer Housed in the top floor of music venue “O2- The Point,” this VVIP bar, restaurant and club caters exclusively to an invite-only clientele. The bar features a blend of low and hi-fi fixtures and captivating views of metropolitan Dublin.”
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Here are few ways you can incorporate the color into interior design and decor:
(Via http://paloma81.blogspot.com/2012/08/design-under-influence-indigo-pillows.html photographed by Mark Eden Schooley)
(Via http://paloma81.blogspot.com/2012/08/design-under-influence-indigo-pillows.html, By Maryam Montague for Elle Decor)
(smallshopstudio.com/2012/08/07indigo-blue-pillow-obsessed/)
Above are the nautical and dreamy like touches Indigo can bring to a design. The last image is a set of dye-ing techniques for pillows.( http://paloma81.blogspot.com/2012/08/design-under-influence-indigo-pillows.html)
Indigo is the most complex color I have researched so far and moody as it is to look as it is to research. I keep it in my color spectrum if not for tradition as much as for its history.
Last but not least, I did find a treasure of a book written By Catherine Mckinley, Indigo. Here is a brief synopsis of her book, an amazing author who interweaved the color and her own ancestory’s connection with the color from Amazon:
“For almost five millennia, in every culture and in every major religion, indigo-a blue pigment obtained from the small green leaf of a parasitic shrub through a complex process that even scientists still regard as mysterious-has been at the center of turbulent human encounters.
Indigo is the story of this precious dye and its ancient heritage: its relationship to slavery as the “hidden half” of the transatlantic slave trade, its profound influence on fashion, and its spiritual significance, which is little recognized but no less alive today. It is an untold story, brimming with rich, electrifying tales of those who shaped the course of colonial history and a world economy. But Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan as their virile armor; the kin of several generations of Jewish “rag traders”; the maternal granddaughter of a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and the paternal granddaughter of African slaves-her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life. McKinley’s journey in search of beauty and her own history ultimately leads her to a new and satisfying path, to finally “taste life.” With its four-color photo insert and sumptuous design, Indigo will be as irresistible to look at as it is to read.”
(Via Amazon)
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