Color Black Revealed

Pierre-Auguste Renoir said, "I've been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black."

Black, the mysterious color! What does it indicate to you; mystery, elegance, power, secret or authority? Since ages unknown, Color black is one of the most misunderstood colors as people often relate it to dark. Though pitch darkness looks black, we should notice that it is not the color, but our lack of inability to see in the absence of light which makes darkness eerie. Many of the established civilizations in the past have held the black in high esteem. For example - Native Americans had high opinion about the color black. They considered it to be color of fertility since black soil gave life. In Japanese culture, black is a symbol of nobility, age and wisdom, thus black belt is given as a mark of highest achievement in martial arts. The color of the Abbasid Caliphs was also black, which is why we see the black flags so frequently in Arab countries.

Even in modern days there have been people who have made the color black their trademark. Johnny Cash, the famous country music icon was lovely referred to the ‘man in black’ for his love for the color. Chanel, the famous company is identified with color black too.

Scientifically black is not a color at all. When all the light is absorbed and no color is reflected, the object appears black to an eye. One of the reasons why black is associated with hidden, fearful or bad experience and linked to the unknown or the unseen. But we also have to acknowledge that black is a color of power and authority, which is skillfully used by people to overwhelm others. Black sets itself aside from others with its heavy and intense energy. It keeps others at arm's length. Black implies self-control and discipline, independence and a strong will, and giving an impression of authority and power; a reason why many professional prefer the color black and it almost compulsory for the Lawyers, and judges to wear black robe.

The fashion world considers black to be stylish, sexy, elegant and powerful color which sends out a strong message. Though many colors come in and go out of fashion, black constantly remains there, steadily holding its ground and never going out of fashion even for once. Hence, the colloquialism "X is the new black". No party has ever gone by without a beautiful lady in black taking your breath away.

We all use black at various times to hide from the world around us in one way or another. Some of us use it to hide our weight; others among us use it to hide our feelings, our fears or our insecurities.  But we cannot rule that black can be an intimidating color, which does not encourage overt friendliness because of the power it exudes. The salesman wearing all black will make a lot of sales, but no friends! It radiates authority, but creates fear in the process.

 Affluent and success orientated women often choose black as it can give an impression of elegance, sophistication and confidence. Black is often associated with sexiness and seduction, as in the temptress in sexy black lingerie creating an air of mystery and intrigue. It can also imply submission to another (including a sexual partner). Teens use the color black to show off their maturity, because it adds some seriousness to their personality.

Personally, I never go out and buy dresses in black but they end up in my wardrobe occasionally. I do go for black purse and shoes though. They are must in my life all the time.

As for the 5 black things that I desire and why……here is the list.

I own a black laptop, desktop, mobile and Dell Venue Pro tablet. Unfortunately my computer and study desk is of light wood color, which does not go well with the gadgets I own. Hence, the first thing I would like to replace is my desk with something like this. I love the idea of corner desks which makes working and accessing things around easier.

"People can have the Model T in any color - so long as it's black." – quoted Henry Ford. But I would prefer to have The Vorsteiner Mercedes-Benz CLK63 AMG Black Widow, which is a breathtaking beauty. A look at it reminds me of ‘Black Beauty’ by Anna Sewell which we had to read as a part of our English classes in school. Back then I yearned to have a black horse of my own, but today with the heavy weight (literally) I have become, I would spare the horse and settle down for the Mercedes.

Next in my list is a well fitting black trouser with material that feels good on my skin and which does not fade. Nothing can be uglier than faded black trousers. You will never imagine how convenient it is for me to pull out my now near death black trouser to go with any top instead of looking around for matching colors. I have four black trousers at present but they have seen better days. In earlier days when I used to wear sari, the black blouse did the job.

A set of black pearls is another thing that has made its way into my wish list of ‘Must have blacks’. No jewelry has ever appeared more tempting to me than the black pearls with bit of silver to enhance its beauty. Like the black trousers, the black set would be befitting for every dress and occasion.

Fresh Caviar is another thing on my list. Since ages, I have been reading about this rare dish but have never got a chance to taste it. The delicacy has been a part of stories I have read so often that I find it so familiar; yet contrasting the familiarity, I don’t know what it tastes like. I wish to have the taste of the black caviar (not orange) on my tongue and relish it to my heart’s content.

So, good or bad there is no denying we all love black and I would love few of the color black in my life as well.

This post is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com

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