Martin Bellander, who analyses data for his blog, was inspired by a number of posts he read in which the colours used in movie posters and trailers over time were analysed.
He decided to conduct a similar study, this time on a medium that dates back much farther that film – painting.
Bellander downloaded over 120,000 images from a BBC database before extracting the relevant information and plotting it all out on a graph. The paintings dated from the year 1250 right up until 2010, with most of the paintings coming from after 1800.
The results identified that the frequency of almost every colour increased in the 20th century other than orange.
Have a look at the results below:
Bellander summarized a number of possible explanations for this trend based on feedback;
- Blue is a ‘new colour’, as reported in Business Insider earlier this year.
- An increase in the usage darker colours, which may have been identified by the cameras that documented these paintings as blue.
- The aging of resins has caused the colours of paintings to change over time.
- An increase in supply and decrease in price of the colour blue has encouraged an increase in it’s usage.
What are your thoughts on an increase in the use of blue in the art world - have you noticed a trend? Let us know in the comments below.
