Red

What it is

Red is one of the most culturally charged colors. It appears early in human pigment use through ochres, later in dyes and synthetic pigments, and remains a primary signal color in design.

Basics

• Red is a primary in RGB light and in many traditional painterly systems.
• It tends to feel warm, urgent, bodily, active, or symbolic.
• Red pigments and dyes range from earth reds to cochineal, vermilion, cadmium red, and modern synthetics.

Notes for later expansion

• Later pages should split red into pigment histories: ochre, cinnabar/vermilion, madder, cochineal, cadmium red.
• Red is a good anchor for cultural meanings and warning/attention systems.

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