Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-14
CONCERNING COLOR.
THIS WORLD or OURS WOULD BE A
SORRY PLACE WITHOUT 1T.
rean Frnnciaco ChronIc,n.1

without color. Color has always been
an integral part OF his existence, and
unless he should be smitten with blind
ness it does not occur to him that he can
ever be deprived of il. There are con-
ditions OF nature that involve more
or less absence of this important con-
stituent OF nature and physical beauty.
On cloudy nights the world is
perfectly colorless. On cloudy days
even, especially in winter, the land
scape presents TO the eye only cold,
negative tints, unnamable, indetinable,
with a counterpart overhead, where the
clouds have built up an under roof of
doleful gray Such a wintry earth and
sky are a sort % return to the original
chaos, when oil was described in the
opening chapters OF the Bible, whose
writer appears to have had o dim idea
Of the nebulsr theory now accepted by
all astronomers. A queer state OF things
prevailed at this remote epoch. What
was TO DO boundless universe with
| countless suns. planets. moons, and
0Sterio Is WIS distributed through illimit-
able space in the form of fine mist of
ether which we can only think of as
gray, il color had then been pos
sible which it was not. for dark
ness was upon the face OF the deep" 1t
was only when God said. "Let there be
| lQht that is, " let suns be evolved -
the color became possible. Light came
/ gradually into the universe. The vast
expanse OF nebulous matter filling
boundless space slowly concentrated
into suns, which were at first faint lumi-
nous masses. resembling. TO compare
great thugs with small, will o the
whisps in a fog. As these became con,
densed light became more intense. heat
was generated, and color appeared with
wonderful and unimaglnable prismatic
effects wasting in space, for there were
as yet no eyes to see its ineiTable splen-
doris.
al color was at first prismatic or ele-
mental. As soon Gs q planet was evolved
and envelopcd in a thin film OF atmos-
pnere it had a blue sky, for the sky is
nothing but the effect OF the light filter
ed through the air. As soon as there
was n sea there appeared the various
shades OF marine color, As plants
were developed there were seen the rich
greens peculiar to vegetation and to
an infinite variety OF flowers, most
OF which, with other tints. were n
little later repeated ia the skins of
animals and the pumagc OF birds.
Then the gamut Of color seemed TO be
complete. At least it remained station
airy for many thousands OF years, till the
Greeks and RomansdiscOvered new dyes,
and 1900 years later when the dyers Of
Lyons added new shades and combina-
tons whose name is legion. Ii is curious
to remember that though the prismatic
colors were among the earliest reyela-
tons OF light to IN eyeless universe.
color till the time OF Newton was supposed
TO be property of objects and not OF
light itself.
The first human beings had always
about them colors that were intense
the rich green's of rank vegetation, the
blue of fathomless skies, seas presenting
a wide range of wonderful hues, Grim
sons and scarlets, that seemed like spots
of flame in the plumage of birds and
the petals of flowers, tints of yellow and
gold and orange in such sunsets as the
world has since never seen. And the
first use that they made of color Was
TO apply it in the form OF pigments to
the face or to the body to render them
selves more attractive in peace or more
hidoous in vsr The AssyriGns and
Egyptians used pigments in a semi
artistic fashion to color certain objects,
and dyed their garments, The dyelng
Of draperies had become almost an art
in the time OF the Hebrews, who had
probably learned it from the PhGnicians.
The Phrygian purple had even then be-
come a fayorite color, though perhaps
not all of the shades of 1t known after
ward 10 the Romans. 1t was obtained
from q kind Of shellfsh found in the
Mediterranean. Purple was the royal
color. Purple, blue, and scarlet were
the principal HUGS seen in the taber-
nacle. White-as to be white as wool
was in Hebrac times the symbol OF IN
nocence, as AZ present.
The Greeks knew the leading colors,
but we are not well informed % to which
they preferred. The rich colors OF the
sea impressed Homer profoundly.
Draperies of all colors were worn ri
Athens. White. embroidered or fringed
with gold, was fayorite fashion for gar
ments. The Romans were acquainted
with even a greater variety of colors than
the Greeks, all OF which are still seen
in the remains Of mosaics and frescoes.
They painted their statues, they wore
q great assortment of tints in thei,
garments, and applied them in different
ways TO their dwellings, with decided
inclination to purple and gold. After
the fall OF Rome came chaos, social and
artistic. Color diappeared from human
existence literally and tiguratively, and
things went o long way backward
toward the original nothingnoss from
which the universe was evolved. Then
came the renaissance, or new birth II
art and literature, ont OF which deyel'
oped such a keen sense of color as the
world has not since experienced. The
Romans knew colors that were enduring,
but for richness, brilliancy, and dura-
bility no painters have surpassed, and
probably none have equalled, some o.
the pre- RaphselItes, notably Peru
gino. The feeling for color and skill il
its use ran on into succeeding genera
tons of Raphaels, Titisns, Michael An
eelos, Tintorettos, Yeronesses, Domeni
chimes. Guidos, Murillos, and artists o
the Dutch and Flemish schools. 1t wat
q period that is TO be feared will nevel
be repeated. Lives began and went on
in color. Human BEINGS sacrificed
themselves to color. Artists like Guide
had specialties OF color that lived afte
them in thousands of pictures painted II
all countries, and which still exercise 1
potent influence on art.
But in the Greek phrase art is long
and color, its chief auxiliary, has scarce
" less aptitude. Color is one Of Tx
stock words OF the literature OF the pres
ent day. IL is used metaphorically t
represent a great many places OF thought
as 80 colorless existence, life witaou
color" local color" &c. Color Il
a practical question with every one, foI
it becomes personal to him IN his house
his garments, everything, in fact
which he is obliged to look upon