The Bridgeman Art Libray has also gone green in the more traditional sense with the adoption of our brand new online newsletter. We are happy to embrace this eco-friendly means of keeping you updated about Bridgeman.

Sir Edward Burne-Jones Green Summer, 1868 Private Collection

"Green is the prime color of the world,
and that from which its loveliness arises."
Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Claude Monet The Waterlily Pond: Green Harmony, 1899 Musee d'Orsay	Norman Hollands Cabbage (after Magritte), 1995 Bridgeman Contemporary Artist

Color and Design:

"Color is a magical element that gives feeling and emotion to art, design, and advertising. By understanding color meaning, (or the psychology of color) you can choose the right color to support and emphasize your design.

A dominant color or overall color scheme can determine the tone of your document. Certain colors will help your product, corporate document, or advertisement attract specific target audiences and evoke desired responses."
©2006 Karen Saunders, Owner, MacGraphics Services

Russian School Packaging for a scented soap, c.1900 Bibliotheque des Arts Decoratifs	Balinese Painting Tropical Forest, Indonesia Private Collection

• It is said that green is the most restful color for the human eye, and that the color has great healing power and can soothe pain.

• Suicides dropped 34% when London's Blackfriar Bridge was painted green.

• There's a superstition that sewing with green thread on the eve of a fashion show brings bad luck to the design house.

"Green how I want you green. Green wind. Green branches."
Federico Garcia Lorca, Romance Sonambulo

Izabella Godlewska de Aranda Kensington Garden Series: The Pool of Chaos Bridgeman Contemporary Artist	Franz Xavier Winterhalter Empress Eugenie and her Ladies in Waiting (detail), 1855 Chateau de Compeigne, Oise, France

How Green Affects People:

• Soothes

• Relaxes mentally, as well as physically

• Helps alleviate depression, nervousness, and anxiety

• Offers a sense of renewal, self-control, and harmony

Vincent van Gogh Self-Portrait, 1888 Private Collection	Xavier Cortada Three Seedlings (on Green), 2005 Bridgeman Contemporary Artist

• In several religions, green is associated with resurrection and regeneration.

• The prophet Mohammed wore a green cloak and turban.

• In Ghardaia and other parts of M'zab, houses painted in green indicate that the inhabitants have made a pilgrimage to Mecca.

• The god of fertility in Celtic myths was associated with green.

• In contemporary Western culture, green is associated with extraterrestrial beings.

English School, 17th century Interior showing the Green Closet Ham House, Surrey, UK	English School, c.1600 Portrait of Sarah and Elizabeth Poulett Private Collection

Green in Politics and Culture:

• Green is used worldwide to represent safety.

• Green, blue-green, and blue are sacred colors in Iran, where they symbolize paradise.

• As the emblematic color of Ireland, green represents the vast green hillsides, as well as Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick.

• In Japan, green is regarded as the color of eternal life.

• In Aztec culture, green was considered royal because it was the color of the quetzal plumes used by the Aztec chieftains.

• The solid green flag of Libya is the only national flag of a single color.

• In China, jade stones represent virtue and beauty.

• In Portugal, green is the color of hope because of its associations with spring.

• In the highlands of Scotland, people used to wear green as a mark of honor.

English School Woman's shoes, 1920s Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museums, Gloucestershire, UK	Blanche Jenkins Portrait of a young girl in a green dress, 1896 Private Collection

"He had that curious love of green, which in individuals
is always the sign of a subtle artistic temperament,
and in nations is said to denote a laxity,
if not a decadence of morals."
Oscar Wilde, "Pen, Pencil and Poison"

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