Red & Green: Color Theory

How is it that colors become synonymous with holidays, and who spun the pantone wheel to deem red and green to stand for Christmas? There are various anthropological theories and Christian interpretations.  One claim is that the apple of Adam and Eve was the original inspiration, others say that the pagan festival of Saturnia was celebrated with wreaths of holly.  Some even theorize that the Druids celebrated the coming of winter with mistletoe eons before the birth of Christ.  

All theories seem rather far-fetched and yet ingrained in our cultural iconography.  Funny to think that our fashion and design sensibility against ever pairing the two shades any time other than one week in December could be dictated by the Druids.  More than anything, it is proof that color still holds great sway over our lives. 

One of the fun features of Art.sy is that you can filter works by color. The tool is great for comparing the Kusama red versus the Rothko one and seeing all art which followed suit of the Yves Klein Blue.