All About the Color Black

Black is authoritative and powerful; because black can evoke strong emotions too much can be overwhelming. Black represents a lack of color, the primordial void, emptiness. A classic color for clothing possibly because it makes the wearer appear thinner and more sophisticated.

photo of a Kara Walker silhouette from pbs.org/art 21

In Chinese culture colors corresponded with the five primary elements, the directions and the four seasons. Black was associated with winter, water and the direction North.

In the west, black is the color of mourning.

In England taxi cabs are traditionally black.

In China, black is a traditional clothing color for boys.

More About Color Around the World...

A black cat crossing your path is considered bad luck in many cultures, except in England, where spotting a black cat is considered good luck.

The color black is associated with sophistication and power... tuxedos, limousines, judge's robes, and priest's attire are all typically black.

Musicians in an orchrestra pit often wear all black during live concerts as to not draw attention away from the stage performers.

The color black is so widely regarded as sophisticated in fashion that the term "the new black" is often used to describe and give merit to a color trend.

In order to stimulate and give some recognition of a certain achievement to the student, Dr. Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo, created such divisions and introduced Belt colors. The black belt is the highest color belt in most martial arts including ITF and WTF of Tae Kwon Do. Black symbolizes the combination of all colors of the universe, which we see as black. From black all colors originate and spring up to create the lively rainbow. The Black Belt is the beginning of true achievement, understanding and wisdom, blending the mind and the body into one, into a unity within oneself and with the universe.

photo by Lars Schmidt from flickr

More Fun Facts About This Color...

"Black is a great color! it sets off your wig!"--Stan Freberg

"I've been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black."--Auguste Renoir

"Black is real sensation, even if it is produced by entire absence of light. The sensation of black is distinctly different from the lack of all sensations."--Hermann Von Helmhoz

"I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, / Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town, / I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, / But is there because he's a victim of the times."--Johnny Cash, lyrics from "The Man in Black".

"Without black, no color has any depth. But if you mix black with everything, suddenly there's shadow - no, not just shadow, but fullness. You've got to be willing to mix black into your palette if you want to create something that's real."--Amy Grant

"People can have the Model T in any color - so long as it's black."--Henry Ford

"Black is not a color." "Color is a matter of taste and of sensitivity."--Edouard Manet

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Black comedy: creating comedy out of a tragic event or situation.

Black coffee: coffee without milk.

Black belt: the highest awarded belt in the martial arts.

Blackball: voting against someone in a secret manner to prevent them from becoming a member of a club.

Blackmail: to demand payment or action by means of a threat.

Black sheep: a bad character in an otherwise respectable group.

Black day: a bad day, or often used before the name of a paticular day to symbolize a tragic event, black Tuesday or black Friday for example.

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Find floral arrangement at Flowers of the World

Anise: Licorice scent. An all time favorite of Licorice lovers. Aromatherapy benefits: Cheering, sense - enhancing, mildly euphoric.--Scent It.com

(the scent of black)" Licorice: mysterious, spicy-sharp, almost louche- as scents go , licorice is notoriously polarizing. Blended into perfumes, it gives otherwise ho-hum fragrances a sexy, murky spin."--Cristina Mueller (Lucky magazine Sept. 2006)

Licorice was the original scent of the black colored Magic Scents Crayons from Binney & Smith Inc. introduced in 1994 with mostly food scents. There were numerous reports that children were eating the food-scented crayons, so the food scents were retired and replaced with non-food scents. The scent for the color black became "leather jacket".

Why grow black flowers? Not just for the sake of having a conversation piece in your garden, although they are good for that. The best reason is because they have so many design uses. For example, black flowers are great for cooling down hot colors, like fire-engine-red 'Lucifer' crocosmia or hot-orange Mexican sunflower.-- Garden Gate magazine

The magic of black flowers has attracted our attention for centuries. Black tulips and black roses appear to originate from a fairytale world. A pure black flower is the Holy Grail of plant breeders worldwide. Their improbable and "unnatural" colour inspires a powerful feeling of mystical expectation. --read more about black flowers from the Flowers and Plants Association

Creating a black garden needs to be given some thought. Is your aim formal or modern? Do you wish to use black as accents and highlights, or black as the main colour. Forget what people say that black cannot be used on is own, and don't argue over what is or is not black, just simply plant it. Use the differing tones and hues to enhance the overall feeling. Be certain of one thing, this colour is not funereal nor gloomy, it is modern, vibrant and sexy. It mixes so easily with other colours of the spectrum, above all with green, chartreuse, gold and silver.--Karen Platt.

photo of black garden bench from SmithandHawken.com

Black tea accounts for over 90% of the tea consumption in the western world. The characteristic flavors of black tea ranging from flowery to fruity, nutty and spicy emerge during the production process. SpecialTeas

A pinch of black pepper is added to almost every type of recipe imaginable. Once used as currency and presented to the gods as a sacred offering, it is fortunate that this most popular of spices is available throughout the year.--whfoods.org

True licorice candy contains an extract from the root of the licorice plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra. This licorice root has been used since ancient times to flavor and sweeten candies, teas, throat lozenges, pharmaceuticals, and other products. Today many, but not all, black licorice candies are flavored with licorice extract.--Herseys.com

More on the use of color for business success

There is no question that the vehicle you drive is an extension of your personality --an unspoken, but clear message to the rest of the world.

The message you send by driving a Black vehicle: Empowered not easily manipulated, loves elegance, appreciates classics.

See What the Other Vehicle Colors Mean...