Nomenclatures of Colour & the Colours of Creation

 

 

 “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere 

and don't notice it.

 Celie in The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

When we regularly spend time outdoors we become aware that green is not just a generic colour for vegetation, nor is the sky or water one shade of blue. There are at least fifty shades of grey? The vast variety through seasons and different species are part of the delight of the sense of sight. We don't just navigate our way through life in a monochromatic world. Granted, there are some who are physically colour blind, but we consider this a form of disability. The nuances and the ravishing beauty provided by colour are gifts from God, which we appropriate through this important sense. 

I came across a tweet by author Robert Macfarlane about a book, Nomenclature of Colours, created by German mineralogist Abraham Gottlob Werner, Scottish painter Patrick Syme, and Scottish naturalist Robert Jameson in 1814. as an extraordinary example. This volume served as a must-have reference for artists, scientists, naturalists, and anthropologists alike. The exquisitely rendered guide showcases the earth's rich range of color by separating it into specific tones. Illustrated only by a small swatch, each handwritten entry is accompanied by a flowery name (like “Arterial Blood Red” and “Velvet Black”) as well as an identifying number. What the book is truly known for, however, is its poetic descriptions of where each tone can be found in nature. For example, one shade of orange is the "Streak from the eye of a Kingfisher," a description which makes me swoon. 

 


Among those who used the guide was some guy named Charles Darwin, but there is an enduring, poetic quality to this meticulously developed volume which can appeal to us all, whatever our calling or claim to fame. In a world of vanishing species and a life more focused on tiny screens than the glorious array of Creation we might all pay attention to the nuances of colour in the everyday.

I'm with Celie that if we are spiritually colour blind, by intention or inattention,  it just pissed God off.