Yellow

Yellow is a color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It appears when light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575–585 nm reaches our eyes. In art and printing, yellow is one of the primary colors in subtractive color systems, meaning it can be mixed with other colors to create a wide range of shades. On screens like televisions and computers, yellow is a secondary color made by mixing equal parts red and green in the RGB color model.

Many natural things have a yellow color because of carotenoids. These pigments give autumn leaves, corn, canaries, daffodils, lemons, egg yolks, buttercups, and bananas their bright hue. They also help protect plants from damage caused by too much sunlight. When the Sun is low on the horizon, its light looks slightly yellow because of atmospheric scattering of shorter blue and green wavelengths.

Yellow has been important in human history for thousands of years. The yellow ochre pigment was one of the first colors used in art, with a painting of a yellow horse found in the Lascaux cave in France that is over 17,000 years old. In ancient Egypt, yellow pigments like orpiment were used to show gold and human skin in tombs. Different cultures see yellow in various ways. In many places, it stands for happiness, amusement, and gentleness, but it can also mean things like envy or trickery. In China and some other Asian countries, yellow is linked to royalty, respect, and wisdom.

Etymology

The word yellow comes from old English, where it was called geolu or geolwe. This word is related to words in other old languages that also mean yellow, like yella in Scots, jeel in East Frisian, giel in West Frisian, geel in Dutch, gelb in German, and gul in Swedish and Norwegian. The English word for yellow was first used around the year 700.

Science and nature

Optics, color printing, and computer screens

Yellow is a color that appears between green and red. On screens, yellow is made by mixing green and red light together. In printing, yellow is one of the main colors used, along with cyan, magenta, and black. These colors mix to create many other colors.

Yellow is the color we see when looking at light with a wavelength between 570 and 590 nanometers. Painters and printers use special yellow inks and paints to create bright and lively pictures.

Astronomy

Some stars appear yellowish because of their temperature. These stars are important for measuring distances in space. One famous example is Polaris, the North Star.

Biology

Many things in nature are yellow because of special pigments called carotenoids. These pigments help plants make food and protect them from harm. In autumn, leaves turn yellow as the green chlorophyll fades away, letting the yellow carotenoids show through.

Carotenoids also give color to many fruits and animals, like carrots, bananas, and even the yellow of egg yolks. When bananas ripen, they change from green to yellow as the chlorophyll breaks down and the carotenoids become visible.

History, art, and fashion

Prehistory

Yellow, in the form of yellow ochre made from clay, was one of the first colors used in prehistoric cave art. The cave of Lascaux has an image of a horse colored with yellow estimated to be 17,300 years old.

Ancient history

In Ancient Egypt, yellow was linked with gold, which was seen as eternal and unchanging. The skin and bones of the gods were thought to be made of gold. The Egyptians used yellow in tomb paintings, usually with yellow ochre or a bright mineral called orpiment. Men were shown with brown faces, while women had yellow or gold faces.

The ancient Romans used yellow in their paintings to show gold and in skin tones. It appears often in the wall paintings of Pompeii.

Post-classical history

During this time, yellow became connected with Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Jesus, even though the Bible does not describe his clothes. From this, yellow also came to be linked with feelings of envy and jealousy.

The tradition began in the Renaissance of marking outsiders, such as Jews, with the color yellow. In 16th-century Spain, people accused of certain beliefs and who refused to change their views were required to wear a yellow cape when appearing before authorities.

The color yellow has been linked with money and finance. The logo of the National Pawnbrokers Association shows three golden spheres, referring to the three bags of gold held by St. Nicholas, the patron saint of pawnbroking. The symbol of three golden orbs is also found in the coat of arms of the House of Medici, a famous Italian family of bankers.

Modern history

18th and 19th centuries

The 18th and 19th centuries brought the discovery and making of synthetic paints and dyes, which replaced older yellows made from poisonous substances.

Around 1776, Jean-Honoré Fragonard painted A Young Girl Reading. She wears a bright yellow dress. This painting is considered one of Fragonard's best works.

The 19th-century British painter J. M. W. Turner used yellow to create moods and feelings, similar to how composers used music. His painting Rain, Steam, and Speed – The Great Central Railway features glowing yellow clouds.

Georges Seurat used new synthetic colors in his paintings made of tiny points of primary colors, especially in his famous work A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884–86). He used a new yellow paint called zinc yellow, not knowing it would quickly change color.

Vincent van Gogh loved the color yellow, calling it the color of sunshine. In Arles, he painted sunflowers in a house he rented, which was painted a buttery yellow. Van Gogh used traditional yellow ochre, as well as newer paints like chrome yellow and cadmium yellow.

In 1895, a new type of art form appeared in New York newspapers: the comic strip. It used a new color printing process with magenta, cyan, yellow, and black inks to create all colors on the page. One of the first characters was the Yellow Kid, named for the yellow nightshirt he wore. This type of exciting reporting became known as yellow journalism.

20th and 21st centuries

In the 20th century, yellow was again used as a symbol of exclusion. In Nazi Germany and German-occupied countries, Jews were required to sew yellow badges onto their clothing.

Modernist painters simplified painting to basic colors and shapes. The Dutch painter Piet Mondrian created paintings with a pure white background and grids of black lines and rectangles of yellow, red, and blue.

Yellow was valued in the 20th century for its high visibility. Because it can be seen clearly from far away and at high speeds, yellow became a popular color for emergency vehicles and neon signs, especially in Las Vegas.

In the 1960s, a special yellow called "Eye Saver Yellow" was developed for slide rules to reduce eye strain.

The 21st century brought new ways to experience yellow. One example is The Weather Project by Olafur Eliasson, shown in London's Tate Modern in 2003. Eliasson used humidifiers to create a fine mist and yellow lights to give the space a warm glow.

Fruits, vegetables, and eggs

Many fruits like lemons and bananas are yellow when ripe, thanks to natural pigments called carotenoids. Egg yolks get their color from xanthophylls, another type of carotenoid.

Flowers

Yellow is a common color for flowers.

Other plants

Rapeseed, also known as oilseed rape, is a bright yellow flowering plant. Goldenrod is another yellow flowering plant.

Minerals and chemistry

Yellowcake is a concentrated uranium oxide used to make fuel for nuclear reactors and in creating nuclear weapons.

Titan yellow is used to find magnesium in blood and urine.

Methyl yellow is a substance that changes color depending on acidity.

Yellow fireworks are made by adding sodium compounds.

Among elements, sulfur and gold are obviously yellow. Phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony have forms that are yellow or whitish-yellow. Fluorine and chlorine are pale yellowish gases.

Many chemical compounds, such as 2,4-Dinitrophenol, are yellowish.

Indanthrene Yellow is a long-lasting synthetic dye used in golden yellow shades.

Pigments

Cadmium Yellow is used to color plastics and has been used in paints since the mid-19th century.

Chrome yellow was used by artists in the early 19th century but has been replaced due to the toxicity of lead.

Azo dye-based pigments are used in modern paints for bright yellow colors.

Historical pigments

The following pigments are of historic interest but have little commercial use today.

Yellow ochre is a natural pigment found in clays and used in painting since prehistoric times.

Indian yellow was a transparent pigment used in paintings but has been replaced by synthetic versions.

Naples Yellow is an old synthetic pigment that is toxic and now replaced.

Zinc yellow was used by Georges Seurat but quickly turns brown.

Titanium yellow is used to make yellow paints with good coverage.

Gamboge is an orange-brown resin that turns yellow when powdered and was used as a pigment in the far east and Europe.

Orpiment, also called King's Yellow, was used as a paint pigment until the 19th century when it was replaced due to its toxicity.

Dyes

Turmeric is a plant used as a dye for clothing, a spice, and a medicine. It is also used as a food coloring.

Saffron is a rare and expensive dye made from the red part of the crocus flower. It has been used since ancient times and comes from Iran, Spain, Italy, and India.

Reseda luteola, also known as dyers weed, was the most common yellow dye in Europe from the Middle Ages until the 18th century.

Gamboge is a yellow pigment and dye made from resin of trees in Southeast Asia.

Food coloring

The most common yellow food coloring today is Tartrazine. It is used in many processed foods like chips, candies, and soft drinks. It is also used in soaps, shampoos, and cosmetics.

Another common yellow coloring is Sunset Yellow FCF, made from petroleum. It is used in foods sold in Europe.

Symbolism and associations

In the west, yellow isn’t a very popular color. In a survey from the year 2000, only 6% of people in Europe and America said it was their favorite color. Blue was much more popular, chosen by 45% of people. Yellow can mean both good and bad things. It is linked to happiness and laughter, but also to tricky situations and jealousy. However, in China and other parts of Asia, yellow is a color that stands for good qualities and importance.

In China

Yellow has deep meaning in Chinese culture, where it represents happiness, glory, and wisdom. In China, yellow is often connected to the emperor and royalty. The famous first emperor of China was called the Yellow Emperor. Special yellow clothes were only for the emperor to wear. Today, yellow is still an important color in Chinese culture.

Light and reason

Yellow is the color of sunlight and is linked to warmth and brightness. It is also connected to knowledge and wisdom. In many languages, words like “brilliant” and “bright” mean being smart. Yellow is often used to represent learning and thinking.

Gold and blond

In ancient times, gods were often shown with yellow or blonde hair. In ancient Greece and Rome, people liked to dye their hair yellow. Yellow hair was both fashionable and a way to stand out.

Visibility and caution

Yellow is very easy to see from far away, so it is used for things like school buses, safety signs, and traffic lights. A yellow traffic light tells drivers to slow down but not stop. Yellow is a color that warns people to be careful.

Optimism and pleasure

Yellow is linked to happiness and joy. It is a color that catches the eye and brings attention. Yellow is often used in celebrations and fun times.

Mayan and Italian

The ancient Maya people connected yellow with the southern direction. In Italy, the word “Giallo” refers to mystery stories and books, a habit that started in the 1930s.

Music

Many famous songs and albums have the color yellow in their titles. For example, The Beatles had a hit song called “Yellow Submarine,” and there is an album called “Mellow Yellow” by Donovan. Coldplay also has a famous song named “Yellow.”

Politics

Yellow is often used in politics to represent ideas like freedom and fairness. Some political parties in different countries use yellow in their symbols. In China, there was a big group called the Yellow Turbans a long time ago. In the Philippines, people wore yellow during big protests in 1986.

Selected national and international flags

Many countries around the world have yellow or gold in their flags. For example, China, India, and Brazil all have yellow in their flags. The colors in flags can mean many things, like treasure, the sun, or special traditions.

Religion

In Buddhism, monks wear saffron-colored robes as a sign of their commitment. In Hinduism, the color yellow is important and often worn by holy people. In Sikhism, yellow is used in important symbols. In Islam, the yellow color of gold stands for wisdom. In Christianity, yellow can represent both good things, like gold, and bad things, like betrayal.

New Age Spiritual Metaphysics

In some spiritual beliefs, yellow is linked to balance and harmony. It is also connected to the idea of intellect and thinking.

Sports

In sports like soccer and rugby, a yellow card is shown as a warning to players. In cycling, the leader of a race wears a yellow jersey.

Transportation

In many places, taxis are yellow because it makes them easy to spot. School buses are also yellow for safety. Yellow is used in traffic lights to mean “slow down” and in safety equipment to make sure people see it clearly.

Maritime signaling

In sea communication, a yellow flag has special meanings. It can show that a ship does not need to stay away from others due to health reasons.

Idioms and expressions

The term yellow-belly is an American expression meaning a coward. It started in the 19th century and might come from the idea that the color yellow is linked to sickness and weakness.

Yellow journalism is an American term for news stories that don’t have much research behind them . Yellow pages are directories of telephone numbers, sorted by the type of business or service .

Some phrases about the color yellow have been used to describe groups of people. For example, the term Yellow Peril was used in the late 19th and early 20th century to describe worries about Chinese immigration to Europe and America . Yellow fever is a slang phrase that describes a strong interest in Asian people . High yellow was an old term used to describe light-skinned African-Americans . There is also a phrase called yellow snow, which describes snow that has turned yellow from urination.