In recent years, in the discussion of color aesthetics in home furnishing and fashion, we can find that the whole industry has paid more and more attention to China's traditional colors, from the "Chinese red" with national self-confidence to the "New Year's red" that should be used for the occasion, all of which have sent a signal: the national color has gradually become a trend.
At this moment, every household is adding New Year's decorations, red couplets, lanterns, firecrackers, and blessing characters have been dispatched, and the family is also wearing red items, hoping to add a sense of festival ritual at the important reunion moment.
Today, DECO wants to explore how the "New Year's Red" is formed and how it brings us energy and happiness. What are some classic red scenes in film and television aesthetics? What items are worth buying to add a new year's flavor? Let's explore the various possibilities of New Year's red together.
When it comes to the New Year, a series of red items such as Spring Festival couplets, blessing characters, firecrackers, red envelopes, and lanterns will automatically appear in my mind, however, why these "New Year symbols" seem to conform to a certain established impression of "red", which is inseparable from the beautiful meaning of warmth, festivity, auspiciousness, and blessing. When we discuss the "New Year's red", the deeper interpretation is the "Chinese red", so DECO invited Guo Hao, a Chinese color expert and author of the "Chinese Traditional Color" series of books, to share with us how the red color of the New Year is formed.
How do you define "China Red"?
Strictly speaking, Chinese red refers to the color of the national flag. Broadly speaking, there are many reds with auspicious symbols in Chinese culture, which can be regarded as Chinese red. Guo Hao mentioned that, first of all, the reason why the color trend can be formed is based on "consensus".
Turning color into a color value, a color block, is actually meaningless in itself, and it is necessary to give it a concept first. Around the red of the New Year, China's 1.4 billion people combined with history, culture and modern life experience, precipitated a common cognition.
During the New Year's holidays, changing into red clothes, writing Spring Festival couplets, pasting blessing characters, hanging lanterns and receiving red envelopes are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Traditional colors are important and can be popular again precisely because everyone remembers and recognizes them.
In view of the red color of the New Year, Guo Hao shared 4 of the most appropriate reds, from the most intuitive "material" color, combined with historical evidence to form a "concept", and interpret the New Year's red in all aspects.
New Year's Red: Cinnabar red
The walls of the Forbidden City. Cinnabar red is called dansu in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", and it is called dansha in the "Shennong Classic of Materia Medica". Cinnabar is the most important red pigment in ancient times, and cinnabar red lacquerware played an important role in sacrifices and ceremonies, because cinnabar red is as red as blood, the ancients believed that this red is a symbol of vitality, and even has the power to resurrect the dead, derived from the cinnabar can ward off evil and help the right, such as the Forbidden City red we are familiar with, that is, ** in cinnabar red.
New Year's Red: Zhu Yan
In 2020. Luoyang Museum, Henan Province, "Silk Road Huaguang - Dunhuang, Yungang, Longmen Grottoes Art Exhibition", portraits of male and female donors in the murals of Dunhuang Grottoes (reproduction). Photo Visual China.
Zhu Yanxuan, from Qu Yuan's "Chu Ci" The beauty is drunk, and Zhu Yan is with some", which means that the beauty is drunk with a faint flush on her cheeks. Li Bai also chanted this pleasant color in "Two Songs of the Former Bottle Wine Shop - Part I" "The falling flowers are a little more, and the beauties want to be drunk with Zhu Yanxuan", Zhu Yanyu is the color of intoxication in the spring breeze.
New Year's Red: Blessing color
Purple red glass bottle from the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty.
photo©heritage art/heritage images via getty images
The color scheme of "Yanxi Attacking the Road" is amazing, and Fukangan is still missing a shirt, you must know that "Fuse comes from Fukangan." "Xiaoting Miscellaneous Records" said: "King Fuwen Xiang is so deep that people strive for it, and it is called 'Fuse'." "The Fu King mentioned here is the Fukangan of Emperor Qianlong's favorite, Fukangan went to Taiwan to quell the rebellion, and wore dark purple clothes when passing through Yangzhou, with a graceful demeanor, everyone admires and competes to emulate, and Fuse has become a popular color.
New Year's Red : Pink
The work of the Chinese potter Lan Tian.
Photo Blue Sky Handmade.
Yun Shouping, the flower and bird album is open.
Photo Visual China.
Pink is the representative color of spring. In the "Book of Songs", it is said: "The peach is scorching every day." The son of the hand returns, and it is appropriate for his room to be at home. The untimely death refers to the beautiful scenery of the peach blossoms, and the peach color describes the happy scene of the wedding.
Vittorio Storaro, a famous cinematographer, once said: "Color is part of the language of cinema, and we use color to express different emotions and feelings, just as light and shadow are used to symbolize the conflict between life and death." "The full emotion and dramatic tension of red itself is often repeated as a key element in film and television works, pushing the plot to reverse or move towards a climax.
Over time, when we look back at these classic films, we try to understand what kind of meaning the red color in the story has, and what kind of visual impact does the color matching of the interior scenes and the characters' costumes bring? What are the differences between the use and interpretation of red by directors in the East and the West? What does the same color scheme look like in interior design?
Red x white.
The Red Lantern Hangs High
Director: Zhang Yimou
In the classic movie "The Red Lantern Hangs High", the red lantern is the most important symbol throughout the film, and the wife who is selected by the master to spend the night can hang the red lantern, and the red lantern must be hung when she is pregnant.
In the gloomy gray courtyard, the row of flickering red is a symbol of open and secret strife, desire, blood, and absolute power, representing a mysterious force that manipulates and dominates everything behind the scenes. It is very different from the traditional custom that red represents festivity, good fortune and auspiciousness.
The roof tiles and walls of the Chen Mansion are all gray and white, and whenever the picture is opened to the big vista, we will naturally focus our eyes on the red lanterns, except for the red lanterns, the rest of the place is colorless and lifeless.
In the courtyard, red represents favor, and it also implicates the fate of the wives. It is only valuable when a red lantern is hung at the door; When the candle flame goes out, the existence of women seems meaningless. When the lord ordered the lantern to be sealed, the red lantern was wrapped in a black cloth, making the courtyard even more deserted.
In the same way, we can also see the change in the mood of the characters through Song Lian's costumes. When she first entered the Chen Mansion, she was still a student and wore plain white clothes, symbolizing purity and simplicity, giving people a spotless and arrogant image. At that time, the most favored third wife was dressed in a bright red costume, showing domineering, hostility and warning. As Song Lian's rank continued to rise, and after learning to calculate and schem, her clothes also changed from white and black to dark red and bright red.
A home in red and white
With the help of designer Cui Yu, Vikki, a post-90s illustrator, used red, yellow and blue to construct a space in a small 50-square-meter apartment in Wutong District, Shanghai, using red, yellow and blue primary colors and geometry to show the unity of function and beauty in the Bauhaus style. The red and white checkerboard floor tiles in the kitchen add interest to the kitchen space and do not look heavy because of the large area of blue.
Red x Green.
Parallel Mothers Director: Almodóvar.
When we talk about the passionate, intense, and vivid qualities that red encompasses, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar can be said to be an out-and-out "red controller". His films are intricately plotted, full of characters, layers of conflict and twists are stacked with thickness, and the costume uses large areas of bright prints and rich colors.
And red is the background color of Almodovar's films, which runs through most of the works. He has a soft spot for the color red, reminiscent of the aromatic ripe tomatoes, the red cloth of the bullring, and the red skirt of the flamenco dance. From the visually striking spatial scenes, to the carefully arranged still lifes and accessories, every touch of red in the film is worth playing. Even posters and opening cards are inseparable from red.
Red and green are complementary colors and often give a sense of conflict. However, in Almodóvar's "Parallel Mothers", we can see the collision of red with mint green and grass green to create a wonderful harmony.
The walls of the heroine's home are made of light mint green, and from furniture to small accessories, each picture is carefully inlaid with red objects, such as picture frames, red cabinet frames, fruit bowls, photo frames, table lamps, vases, and so on.
In addition to the spatial scenes, the female characters in the play are often dressed in bright red, which contrasts strongly with the light mint green of the background. The director added a little goose yellow to the scene, and successfully made the high-saturation red and low-saturation green coexist naturally.
A home with red and green
Coming from a family of collectors and manufacturers of handmade nomadic carpets in northern Iran, Martin traveled from Iran to China to found the Zamani Collection, and then moved from Beijing to Shanghai to move into an apartment in a historic building. From the foyer, living room, bedroom to hallway, the floor is almost covered with wool blankets, giving the room a touch of soft and waxy wrapping.
The living room is painted dark green, covered with a cochineal carpet, and the complex totems have a kind of wild vitality, and the rich dark green collides with the unique style of tradition and modernity.
Red x Blue.
Pain and Glory
Director: Almodóvar
In Almodóvar's semi-autobiographical film "Pain and Glory", we can see a once deviant and youthful director who suffers from physical and mental illness in middle age, and can only relieve his pain through drug addiction.
Almodovar's red palette has also shifted from an uninhibited "warm" red to a calmer and more astringent "cool" red. The movie has a large number of scenes with red and blue colors, red represents high emotions, pleasure, passion, and love, while blue is calm, calm, and depressed. From the costumes of the protagonists to the interior design, there is a tug-of-war between the two primary colors, red and blue.
A home with red and blue
Ivy Qin's new home in Beijing is like a well-modulated color palette, the living room is mint green, the dining room is a dreamy pale pink, the master bedroom is a landscape-like gold and beige, the cloakroom is a collision of red and blue-green, forming a dramatic space, and the wardrobe door panel continues the begonia flower style of the master bedroom window.
Red x Black.
The Red of the Blue-White-Red Trilogy
Director: Chislauski.
Polish film master Krisztof Kie Lowski's famous work "Blue, White and Red Trilogy" is the three colors of the French flag, representing freedom, equality and fraternity, and Chislauski also influences aesthetics and philosophy of life through colors and the meaning behind them.
The two protagonists in "Red" Vanantina, dressed in bright red, is kind and idealistic, she will rescue a dog hit by a car on the road, and she will also help the old woman throw the bottle into the resource bucket.
The other protagonist is a retired old judge, who sees through the warm and dark side of the world, he is used to looking at the world with a pessimistic eye, and the seemingly unrelated two people have become mutual redemption and guidance after experiencing several tricks of fate.
"Blue" is not free, "White" is not equal, only the fraternity of "Red" is true and tender.
A home with red and black
Designer Stephan Lanez has transformed 45 apartments in the Marais district of Paris into a home full of possibilities. Using ox blood as a clue to connect the whole home, the original beam and column structure of the apartment was painted "Afghan red" to separate the dining room, and the enthusiastic and unrestrained red color made the space visually magnified and added to the sense of fashion. The furniture of the whole house is mainly gray and black, so that the lively red is slightly calm, so that it will not float lightly on the surface.
Entrance hall
IKEA's "Fossta" series is new, including lanterns, table lamps, pillows, chair cushions, cushions, in addition to a wealth of red items, the more eye-catching is the faucet-shaped cushions, the expression is cute and pleasing, both adults and children will love.
Minimalist red geometric candle
Hay's Column Candles collection is certified with the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, using natural raw materials and a simple shape that can be integrated into any scene. Cylindrical candles, candlesticks and long candles can be mixed and matched to create more variety, and are perfect for tables, coffee tables or fireplaces.
dining table
New Year's floral arrangement. In addition to soft decoration, floral arrangements and utensils are the best tools to add New Year's flavor, which can be displayed in a large area or partially decorated, which is very flexible and has a relatively low time cost for layout or replacement. For those who are planning to hold a family dinner, but don't want to buy extra large pieces of furniture, red floral arrangements and utensils are very suitable for you.
We learned from Mushroom, the founder of Wild Food, who is good at using plants to create and bring nature into the room. Approaching the New Year, mushrooms are recommended to take the red system as the protagonist, such as the return of the mountain, cockscomb, and crane orchid, and then match the more durable fruits and pine and cypress flowers, which are simple and durable.
A must-have red chair for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner
The warmest scene of the New Year is a family reunion, gathered around for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.
If your home is usually black, gray and white or wood, you may wish to replace the dining table or dining chair with a red tone, which is simple, direct and effective. After the Spring Festival, it can also be used as a coffee table and display table to place other items.
This year, Squeak's popular Mobius chair series has launched the "Teaser Red", which represents bravery, warmth, eye-catching, and breaking.
Lacquer art utensils
Lacquer artist Long Yi's "Dragon Scale Pattern Lacquer Art" series is exquisite and elegant, and the "Chengpan" can place festive fruits such as golden dates and oranges, so that food and utensils can be integrated and add a sense of ceremony.
Lovely peach cup and plate set
The young lifestyle brand "Xixingle" is good at interpreting Chaozhou's porcelain culture with modern design style and colorful colors.
Recently, they have launched a series of longevity peach-based utensils, including wine pots, coffee cups, stems, dinner plates, tea cups, etc., a whole longevity peach is the most appropriate decoration for the occasion, suitable for the whole group to use on the dining table.
Living room
The red pouf that can hold the scene
photo©jim stephenson
If you are looking for a red item that is relatively small in size, but has a full sense of weight and can calm the scene, then Pusu's "Gua Ling Xiudun" is very suitable. Using the traditional lacquer process of Fuzhou, the wood is decorated with lacquer, and the vermilion corresponds to the "fire" in the five elements, symbolizing nobility, elegance and dignification, giving the pier a warm but majestic momentum.
Whether it's used as a coffee table, next to the sofa, or placed next to the TV cabinet with floral arrangements, it can easily create a corner full of New Year's flavor.
Art pre-owned screens
For those who have a spacious living room, consider this orange screen designed by Dmitry Samygin. This screen has an Art Deco art deco style, and the black dancer pattern on the surface has a relaxed atmosphere, and the clean contrast of red and black presents a soft, powerful line, which is suitable for living room partitions.
Or placed in the corner, naturally forming a spiritual territory, can be matched with a low coffee table, cushions, quite a sense of ceremony.
Bedrooms
An imposing tiger blanket
In the cold season, soft fabrics are indispensable. Placing a rug in a room or as a wall decoration can quickly warm up the air.
The artisan handmade carpet series of Tibetan home lifestyle brand Atelier Changphel is handmade from dyeing, weaving and flat cutting. The "Tiger Blanket" is made of northern Tibetan mountain wool, which is strong and not easy to fade and deform, and the short pile of the totem part is tight, with a fine grainy feeling, and the feel is first-class.
A blessed tapestry that warms up the room
photo©franparente
This year, Venice design studio Z**EN presents the "No Flags" collection, which includes carpets, tapestries, desks, wall-hung cabinets and more. Among them, the tapestry was produced by the Italian design brand CC-TAPIS. No matter where the reddish-purple tapestry is placed, it is the warmest corner in winter.
After reading this issue of Inspiration Brunch, what do you think is the most suitable use of red in life scenarios? Feel free to share your thoughts with usDECO will select a wonderful message to send a new issue.
Executive Producer | tango
Text |Xu Yi edited cold noodles
Visual |Freda Assistant | easson
Franparente, Heritage Art Heritage Images via Getty Images, Atelier Changphel, Xixingle, Visual China