shocking
A BUTCHER'S #77
A BUTCHER’S hook/look (Cockney rhyming slang)
arriving at pink
Another round looking at colors - when the pink hits you (round 2).
pick a pink, any pink
there are so many different pinks, but to the ancient Greeks and Romans there were just shades of red. It wasn’t until the 17th century that pink came into its own and finally became a big deal in the 18th century in French aristocratic circles - conveying elegance and luxury in art, fashion, and interior design to create a sense of opulence and sophistication.
It’s been in and out of favor ever since, taking on its own importance and significance for different groups though history. It’s a color that achieves a lot - for male, for female, to calm or to shock. From pretty to punk and as a political statement.
a shock to the system
The term ‘shocking’ pink was born from a meet up between Elsa Schiaparelli and socialite Daisy Fellowes (occupation: socialite and a real character!) who was wearing a spectacular diamond - a bright pink, 17.47-carat gem (formerly Russian royalty) that she had bought from Cartier.
“The color flashed in front of my eyes…..a shocking color, pure and undiluted.” Schiaparelli commented after seeing it. Its impression was immediate and she incorporated the color into her new perfume. With a hot pink box and bottle inspired by Mae West’s curvy figure, the name Shocking, which launched in 1937, was perfect.
significance
I don’t often work with pink but this was a small piece I did for Visual Aids, an organization that raises money for people living with AIDS (this year Postcards from the edge raised $145K - well done!)
The color I chose for the ‘room’ in this piece references the political power of pink and the ‘Silence = Death’ project from 1985.
pinkest pink
Artist justice - the black story.
The blackest black, known as Vantablack is only made by one British company and was originally developed for the military. However, artist Anish Kapoor (known by many for his Cloud Gate mirrored beans in a number of cities) made a behind the scenes agreement with the company that he would be the only person allowed to use it for artistic purposes. Well that sucks!
As a reaction to this privatization of the blackest black, artist Stuart Semple, working with scientists, developed the pinkest pink called PINK and made it available to everyone except Anish Kapoor (really!)
Available exclusively from Culture Hustle… on condition that you agree to a legal disclaimer that states they have no intention of letting it fall into Kapoor’s hands!
pinkissimo
Then came Zandra Rhodes, the English fashion designer who lives her life in the pink. Since 1980 she has made her pink hair an identity, a statement and a brand. And she’s still going strong in pink today at 86 (it’s Crazy Color’s Pinkissimo)
Why pink? “it’s the easiest and doesn’t wash out as much as other colours”.
Full of surprises and fun as usual!
Thank you for this fun & informative PINK PoST ! A welcome bright spot in my day...