Yellow’s Contradictions

The color of light (according to Goethe), of the sun, of Autumn… but also the color of envy and betrayal… These are yellow’s contradictions.

In those cultures in which sun is part of their divinity, gods are represented by this color, they were even imagined blonde in Ancient Greece! It’s also the color of the Chinese Emperors, Sun’s descendents, just as European Kings dressed in purple, a quite expensive pigment. So did those in Orient, but dressing in saffron, another rather inaccessible pigment. In Asia, yellow also represents happiness and wisdom, which is why Buddhist Monks dress in yellow. Also, the Yellow River (Huang He) owes its color to the amount of mud it carries, which makes it the river of fertility.

In most countries, post services use yellow for their logos, that’s because Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor’s Coat of Arms was yellow and since then its use spread all over the rest of countries. Consequently, this color is used by messengers in general.

Van Gogh, The yellow house,
1888

Due to its brightness, it’s connected with optimism and happiness, why else would you think Smileys are yellow? In Tour de France, the top cyclist is given a yellow jersey so he can be distinguished from the distance; also in the first televised editions of Wimbledon, the tennis balls used were yellow so they would be more visible than the formerly used white ones. In soccer, just like in traffic lights, a yellow would mean ‘warning’. A yellow flag shown from a ship would mean ‘plague’, ‘disease’ or ‘quarintine’. Those yellow traffic signs with black letters or symbols are those that must be seen and followed from the distance, same happens with the signals that warn about poisons, explosives and radioactivity.

Toulouse-Lautrec, In the room
of the Rue des Moulins, 1894

But a yellow not obtained from saffron, but from reseda seems dirty, dimly lit and isn’t resistant to washes. In Middle Age it represented shame, betrayal, envy, jealousy, selfishness, greed and it was used by the prostitutes, glambers, jews, single mothers and witches of the time. Judas would be painted in yellow for his betrayal. Toulouse-Lautrec also painted the prostitute’s skins yellow. In XII century, jews were told to wear yellow hats: it’s not a matter of luck that centuries later, nazis would make them wear the Star of David’s of the same color.

Giotto, Judas Kiss, 1302

Since it has always been related to Devil and sins (due to sulfur's color), it’s not a liturgical color for the Catholic Church.  In theatre, it was always considered a bad luck giving color. (It’s said that because Molière died while playing his role in The Imaginary Invalid and being dressed in yellow.)

And it was also usually rejected in fashion for its negative connotations, not in Asia, though; and it’s for the East’s influence that yellow appears for first time in European fashion in XVIII century. Even though it’s sometimes seen now in Winter catwalks, it’s usually just worn during summer, when sun brights the most!

(What about Beatles’ Yellow Submarine? And Tony Orlando’s ‘Tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree’?)[1]

Sources: Welsch,N.-Liebmann, C.Chr. Farben. München, Elsevier V.2004;

Heller, E. Wie Farben auf Gefühl und Verstand wirken. München, Droemer V., 2000;

personal notes.
Translation: Lorenzo Vigo

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[1] Listen to these songs through these links: The Beatles and Tony Orlando.