[Aztlan] Properties of the color blue

[Lorna Huff]

Hello all,

Webster’s has a great definition for the color blue describing it as ' 
...the hue of that portion of the spectrum lying between green and violet... 
one of the psychological primary hues, evoked in the normal observer by 
radiant energy wave- length of approximately 475 nanometers’. (Green is 
evoked by wave-length of  approximately 530 nanometers, yellow is 580 
nanometers, and red falls in the long- wavelength end of the spectrum).

It’s interesting to consider the actual physical properties of 'blue' since 
it appears to have been a popular color in ancient Mesoamerica, such as with 
‘Maya blue’ pigment being highly coveted by the Aztecs, as noted by Susan 
Milbrath and others.  It appears there are many aspects to why this was so, 
one of which might be that 'Maya blue' was extremely resistant against 
chemical aggression as shown in the studies of M. Sanchez Del Roi, et al..

Thinking along the lines (without a hard-fast theory in mind) of how light 
wavelength has a psychological affect on the observer… It is common 
knowledge that human emotion and behavior are influenced by colors. 'Cool' 
tones such as blue and green have been shown to have a calming affect, while 
'warm' hues like red and yellow have a subtle stimulating affect on the 
brain.  This might be related to the length of the light energy waves 
absorbed through our visual sense, and is applicable to ancient and modern 
human perceptual experience.

Just a few thoughts others might care to reflect or elaborate on,

Lorna

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