White

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White
color code: #ffffff

White is the brightest of all colors . Like black and gray , it is an achromatic color. White is not a spectral color , but is created by a mixture of individual colors that produce the same color impression as sunlight.

Myrtle blossoms ( Myrtus communis )

etymology

The Common Germanic adjective Middle High German wiȥ , Old High German (h) wīȥ belongs (like wheat ) to the Indo-European root ku̯ei- “shine, shine; bright".

White light

White is also created by three suitable LEDs with visually the same intensity.

For humans, the color impression white always arises when a material reflects (or remits) the light in such a way that all three cones in the retina of the eye are stimulated in the same way and with sufficiently high intensity . The same applies to the light color of self-emitters. The color stimulus for the perception of white is that all three color valences are the same. Depending on the nature of the light perception, this can be based on different (suitable) spectra; because of the necessary equality of the color valences, this color is also referred to as "achromatic".

In nature, especially with solar radiation ( Planck's radiator ), there is a superposition of wavelengths due to the origin of the radiation . The visibility of light is determined by the sensation of the eye of humans or animals. Neighboring parts of the electromagnetic spectrum are infrared and ultraviolet , but they do not interact with the visual sensors. The individual impression for white is given in a certain range of radiation intensity. If the intensity of the (nonetheless uniform) color valence falls, the impression of neutral gray is created, which is also achromatic and, according to the definition, comprises a greater range of "absolute brightness".

With a prism, white light can be broken down into its spectrum

If such white light is refracted, the wavelengths are deflected to different degrees due to the dispersion and broken down into the (known) image of the continuous spectrum . The spectral colors violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red become visible to humans. These color names each stand for areas. Other components such as ultraviolet and infrared, which are also contained in “white” sunlight, are not perceived because our receptors are not sensitive to them or the wavelengths are already intercepted by the cornea for protection.

Color theory

In television sets and computer monitors, the color white is created through an additive mixture of the same intensities of the colors red , green and blue . Accordingly, white in the RGB color space has the value RGB = (255, 255, 255) with 8-bit decimal representation or RGB = (FF FF FF) with hexadecimal representation. For the monitor, RGB = (I max , I max , I max ) applies accordingly if I max denotes the full intensity of the electron beam in the device.

In the Lab color space, the following applies for white: {L *, a *, b *} = {100, 0, 0}, although (empty) paper or white textiles are already accepted as white at L *> 80. The peculiarity of whiteness led to the definition of various measures, which are introduced as whiteness . If the hue deviates from a * = b * = 0, a color cast occurs which is taken into account in some whiteness formulas.

The slightest addition of colors such as ocher , yellow or green results in nuances such as cream white, milk white , ivory or champagne . Such tones occur in nature, but also play a not unimportant role in art and the world of fashion , e.g. B. in wedding dresses . White without any color cast can be described as pure white or snow white .

White lead

The most important white color pigment used to be white lead ( lead hydroxide carbonate ), which has undeniable advantages in painting . Although it was already known in ancient times that it was highly toxic, it was also used as make-up , since the female ideal of beauty used to be light, untanned, flawlessly "white" skin.

White in nature

Foam and spray of a surging ocean wave

In nature, white is not only the color of snow , clouds or the spray of the sea, but also occurs frequently in the plant world. Some typical white flowers have a strong scent, some of which is used in the perfume industry, including jasmine , orange blossom , white lily , lily of the valley, and white lilac . Even roses have existed since time immemorial in white varieties, including some varieties of historical Rosa alba . Many fruit trees such as apples , pears , cherries and peaches also bloom white .

White hair is part of the natural aging process in humans, albinos naturally have white hair and white skin. Albinism also occurs in animals, such as rabbits , mice, and cats . White animals evidently exert a special, sometimes downright mystical, fascination for people, especially if they are rare specimens of a species. In ancient Crete , white mice were considered a good luck charm and sacred. In East Asia, white tigers - a rare variant of the king tiger - and the legendary " white elephants " are revered. Both are half-albinos, but white elephants are actually not white, but have unpigmented pink spots on their skin. They were worshiped as sacred, especially in Thailand and Burma . The Chinese white dolphin is also spotted and by no means completely white .

The fascination of a white animal is also evident in Melville's often filmed novel Moby Dick , the plot of which revolves around a white whale . Another film title is Jaws .

The best-known white mammals include certain types of sheep and goats , as well as polar bears , whose fur is more of a cream color. Some animals only wear white occasionally: in the case of seals, only the babies, and in the case of the mountain hare or white fox it is used as a camouflage color only in winter .

The color is also common in the bird kingdom, the best known are swans , geese , gulls , pelicans , albatrosses , storks , white pigeons and ducks .

White butterflies are the small or large cabbage white butterfly and the swan .

Gallery (flowers)

symbolism

A Bride in White, 1931
White Pigeon

Compare further:

  • White noise of the sound engineering
  • White Out - brightness without sight, for example when flying through a cloud
  • Whitening agent , a fluorescent dye that uses invisible ultraviolet components of light in daylight or the light of a black light lamp to generate additional light, i.e. brightness. The old slogan of laundry detergent advertising "Whiter than White" can apply to whites and their brightness.

heraldry

In heraldry , the tincture of silver, which is referred to as metal , can be replaced by "white" in heraldic paintings .

Martial arts

Budō belt ( Japanese Obi) in the colors of the five student grades (Japanese Gokyū)

In many martial arts - such as Jiu Jitsu , Judo and Karate - a belt (Japanese obi ) is worn as part of martial arts clothing (Japanese keikogi ). The white belt is the lowest student grade (Jap. Kyū -degree), gets the right every beginner. The white color represents the "pure and immaculate" level of knowledge of Budōka . The classic origin for the white color of the suits (and thus the belts) is based on the samurai tradition. In Japan, white stands for masculinity and death, which is why this color was often worn by samurai under their armor. This was how their willingness to go to extremes was shown.

geography

The term white is also used to differentiate between ethnic groups and geographical objects. This color suffix , as with Belarusians , White Croats , White Serbs , White Bulgarians , White Huns , White Mutton , also White Elster , White Collm , was used in an individual meaning to distinguish between Black Russians , Black Croats , Blue Huns, Black Magpie , Black Collm.

Web links

Commons : White  - collection of images, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: White  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

literature

  • Barbara Oettl: White in 20th Century Art. Studies on the cultural history of a color. Schnell & Steiner publishing house, Regensburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7954-2092-5 .
  • MH Bernd Hering: White colorants. A reference work for conservators, restorers, students, architects, preservationists, art scholars, painters, experts and those interested. Self-published, Fürth 2000, ISBN 3-00-005887-7 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The dictionary of origin (=  Der Duden in twelve volumes . Volume 7 ). Reprint of the 2nd edition. Dudenverlag, Mannheim 1997 ( p. 807 ). See also DWDS ( "white" ) and Friedrich Kluge : Etymological dictionary of the German language . 7th edition. Trübner, Strasbourg 1910 ( p. 488 ).
  2. ↑ Neutral gray: everything that is darker than white and lighter than black
  3. ↑ Karl Gröning, Martin Saller: The elephant in natural and cultural history , Könemann, Cologne 1998, pp. 162-165