Black
In light, black is lack of all color. It is a shade. In painting, however, the black pigment is the combination of all colors. In heraldry, black is called "sable". It is the opposite of white.
Origin of black
The word "black" comes from Old English blæc ("black, dark", also, "ink"), from Proto-Germanic *blakkaz ("burned"), and from Proto-Indo-European *bhleg-. Black is the darkest color/tone on a scale.
Black in science
In science, an object that is black absorbs the light that hits it. Because these objects do not reflect any light, the human eye can't see any color coming from that object. The brain then sees these objects as black.
A way to create black objects is to mix pigments. A pigment works by reflecting only the color of the pigment. For example, a blue pigment absorbs all colors except blue. By mixing pigments in the right quantities, black can be made.
In sunlight, black objects become quickly warm because they absorb much light.
Meaning of black
Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, safety, birth, male, evil and mystery. Black is a dark color, the darkest color there is. Black, along with gray and white, is a neutral color. This means that it is not a hot color or a cool color.
Black is a color seen with fear and the unknown (black holes). It can have a bad meaning (blackbird, black bunny) or a good meaning ('in the black', 'black is beautiful'). Black can stand for strength and power. It can be a formal, elegant, and high-class color (black tie, black Mercedes).
Related pages
Black Media
Megaloceros cave art at Lascaux
Vantablack was the blackest substance known until 2019.
Japanese men traditionally wear a black kimono with some white decoration on their wedding day
Hussar from Husaren-Regiment Nr.5 (von Ruesch) in 1744 with the Totenkopf on the mirliton (ger. Flügelmütze).
Modern-day monks of the Order of Saint Benedict in New Jersey
Namesake of the idiom "black sheep"
Heroes in American westerns, like the Lone Ranger, traditionally wore a white hat, while the villains wore black hats.
Statue of Anubis, guardian of the underworld, from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Greek black-figure pottery. Ajax and Achilles playing a game, about 540–530 BC. (Vatican Museums).
Red-figure pottery with black background. Portrait of Thetis, about 470–480 BC. (The Louvre)
