COLOR AND ART

In creating a work of art, the two most important elements are design and color. Color may actually be more important than design because it is by color contrast that design is created, whether that work of art is a black-and-white portrait or a colorful handmade rug.

 

In handmade rugs, colorful motifs are woven into the rug against the solid background color and the border, creating even more incredible color contrast. All handmade rugs are identified by their background color and border color.

 

Background Color is the dominant color in the background of the rug and is the underlying color of the entire rug with the exception of the border. In some cases, however, the background and the border color are the same. Handmade rugs contain many different motifs woven with exquisite colors. The motifs rest on a background woven in a solid color. The most widely used background colors are red, blue, beige, and yellow. These colors come in various shades and hues.

 

Colors are also an important factor in determining the origin of handmade rugs. Different rug producing areas use different combinations of colors and different types of dyes. Colors are chosen according to the best dyes available in the environment whether natural or synthetic, and even sometimes according to their symbolic values (traditional and religious meanings).

 

 

COLOR SYMBOLISM

 

In the East, colors have symbolic values. Traditional and religious meanings of colors sometimes affect the choice of colors used in handmade rugs.

 

Green, for example, is considered by Muslims to be a holy color; therefore, until the end of 19th century, it was mainly used in prayer rugs. However, at the end of the 19th century, in order to comply with Western taste, numerous decorative rugs containing green were produced for exportation.

 

Red, the most widely used rug color, means happiness and joy.

 

Yellow and Gold are Chinese royal colors and symbolize wealth and power.

 

Dark Blue signifies solitude.

 

White is symbol of mourning, peace, and purity in Persia, China, and India, and

 

Brown, the color of earth, symbolizes harvest and fertility.

 

Today, however, because of exportation, color symbolism is not observed to the same extent, but it can still be seen, mostly in rugs produced for local use.