As the name of a color, violet (named after the flower violet) is used in two senses: first, referring to the color of light at the short-wavelength end of the visible spectrum, approximately 380?420 nm when indigo is recognized, or more commonly 380?450 nm^[1] (this is a spectral color). Second, violet may refer to a shade of purple, that is, a mixture of red and blue light, and not a spectral color (see a discussion of the distinction between violet and purple). Spectral violet is outside the gamut of typical RGB color spaces, and although it can be approximated by that color shown below as electric violet, it cannot be reproduced exactly on a computer screen.

Approximations of spectrum violet

Although pure spectrum violet is outside the color gamut of the RGB color space, the three colors displayed below are close approximations of the range of colors of spectral violet.

Color wheel violet

The color at right is called color wheel violet because, by its color formula, it is the color precisely halfway between magenta and blue on the HSV color wheel. It is also called near violet because this color, when plotted on the CIE chromaticity diagram is equivalent to a visual stimulus of approximately 422 nanometers on the spectrum, barely on the violet side of the transition between the violet and indigo parts of the spectrum, which occurs at approximately 420 nanometers if indigo is accepted as a spectrum color.

The complementary color of color wheel violet on the HSV color wheel is chartreuse.

Electric violet

The color at right is electric violet, the closest approximation to middle spectrum violet that can be made on a computer screen, given the limitations of the sRGB color gamut within the CIE chromaticity diagram. When plotted on the CIE chromaticity diagram, this color would have approximately the hue of a visual stimulus of about 400 nm on the spectrum, in the middle of the violet part of the spectrum. Thus another name for this color is middle violet.

Vivid violet

Displayed at right is the color vivid violet, a color approximately equivalent to the violet seen at the extreme edge of human visual perception. When plotted on the CIE chromaticity diagram, it can be seen that this is a hue corresponding to that of a visual stimulus of approximately 380 nm on the spectrum. Thus another name for this color is extreme violet.

Other variations of violet

Pigment violet (web color dark violet)

The color box at right displays the web color dark violet which is equivalent to pigment violet, i.e., the color violet as it would typically be reproduced by artist's paints, colored pencils, or crayons as opposed to the brighter "electric" violet above that it is possible to reproduce on a computer screen.

Compare the subtractive colors to the additive colors in the two primary color charts in the article on primary colors to see the distinction between electric colors as reproducible from light on a computer screen (additive colors) and the pigment colors reproducible with pigments (subtractive colors); the additive colors are a lot brighter because they are produced from light instead of pigment.

Pigment violet (web color dark violet) represents the way the color violet was always reproduced in pigments, paints, or colored pencils in the 1950s. By the 1970s, because of the advent of psychedelic art, artists became used to brighter pigments, and pigments called "Violet" that are the pigment equivalent of the electric violet reproduced in the section above became available in artists pigments and colored pencils. (When approximating electric violet in artists pigments, a bit of white pigment is added to pigment violet.)

Web color "violet"

The so-called web color "violet" is in actuality not really a tint of violet at all, but is a non-spectral color, not a spectral color like violet is. The web color violet is actually a rather pale tint of magenta because it has equal amounts of red and blue (the definition of magenta for computer display), and some of the green primary mixed in, unlike most other variants of violet that are closer to blue. This same color appears as "violet" in the X11 color names.

Violet in culture

Art

• In Chinese painting, the color violet represents the harmony of the universe because it is a combination of red (yang) and blue (yin).^[2]

Food

• In the United Kingdom it is traditional to package chocolate in violet colored packaging because of the association of the color royal purple with luxury.^[3]

Literature

• Violet is the name of a 75 foot in diameter spherical starship that was an enlarged version of the Skylark Two in the 1948 E.E. Smith science fiction novel Skylark Three (originally published in Amazing Stories in 1930), the second book of the of the Skylark tetralogy. ^[4]

Metaphysics

• In the metaphysics of the "New Age Prophetess", Alice Bailey, in her system called the Seven Rays which classifies humans into seven different metaphysical psychological types, the "seventh ray" of "Ceremonial Order" is represented by the color violet. People who have this metaphysical psychological type are said to be "on the Violet Ray".^[5]

Parapsychology

• Psychics who claim to be able to observe the aura with their third eye report that those who are practicing occultists (magickal thaumaturgists) often have a violet aura.^[6] It is said that people with violet auras are forward looking visionaries who may be in occupations such as performance artist, photographer, venture capitalist, astronaut, futurist, or quantum physicist.^[7]

Religion

• In Hinduism, violet is used to symbolically represent the seventh, crown chakra (Sahasrara).^[8]
• In the Ascended Master Teachings, a group of religions based on Theosophy, the color violet is used to represent the Ascended Master St. Germain. ^[9]
• The Invocation of the Violet Flame is a system of meditation practice used in the "I AM" Activity and by the Church Universal and Triumphant (both Ascended Master Teaching religions). It is believed to be invoked from Saint Germain and practicing it is part of these religions' devotion to Saint Germain. ^[10]
• Violet is the liturgical color of Advent and Lent in many western churches.

References

See also

• Ultraviolet
• High-energy visible light
• Lavender
• List of colors
• Purple

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