Red is a warm, rich colour. Although it is associated with danger and revolution, it can also express wealth and opulence. In the RGB colour model, red is a primary colour. Additionally, it can be made from magenta and yellow in the CMYK colour model. For painting, red is a primary colour with yellow and blue, and it is the complementary colour of green. Red shades range from vermillion and scarlet (which contains yellow), to crimson and maroon, which have blue-ish tones. Pale reds become more pink, and darker reds move towards burgundy colours.
Early Use of Red Shades
One of the first colours used in prehistoric art, red was made from ochre. The ancient Egyptians and Mayans also used red to colour their faces in ceremonies. After a military victory, Roman generals celebrated by having their bodies coloured red. In China, red was an important colour, used for pottery, palace walls and gates, and later for furniture lacquer. During the Renaissance, the wealthy elite wore brilliant red clothes, which were dyed with kermes and cochineal. Synthetic red dyes were introduced in the nineteenth century, so red products became widely available.
Square Dance
The Goldcrest Gallery fine art print collection includes a bold red design, ‘Square Dance‘. Originally created in the 1950s as a feature wallpaper pattern, ‘Square Dance’ makes a vivid and exciting abstract print. The main background red in this design is a bright scarlet with a slight orange tint. The designer has then arranged squares of pale red (peach) and ochre onto this background. There is a subtle optical movement of these three colours as they jostle for position.
Diamond Concertina
Another 1950s wallpaper design in our print range, ‘Diamond Concertina‘ displays very different red shades, however. Here the main background is a dark burgundy. Over this, diamond-shaped motifs in pale reddish-pink and maroon are placed in varied rows. This design has rich contrasts which give it considerable depth.
Both ‘Square Dance‘ and ‘Diamond Concertina‘ are also available as canvas prints. They make a vibrant focal point to enliven a shelf or wall. Or they can provide a dynamic accent note in a neutral interior colour scheme. Why not browse our collection of fine art prints, canvases and greeting cards, where we have many other designs featuring beautiful, bold red shades, or view our selection of Red & Crimson designs!