“If all the green of springtime was blue, and it is…”
– from Connoisseur of Chaos by Wallace Stevens
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| Yaquina Bay hillside, Newport, OR |
In the frescoes that survive at Pompeii rarely used is the color blue. The ancient Greeks repeatedly described the ocean as black, hence Homer’s “wine-dark sea.” Farther back in time, the Egyptians called the sky green. Our ability to perceive blue rests on a highly developed retina with its large supply of cones, a recent event as evolution goes. (from Jane Librizzi's The Blue Lantern)
What?
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| Window detail, Florence, Italy |
When I read that we haven't always been able to perceive the color blue, I was shocked. How recent is "recent' in terms of evolution? Pompeii and Egypt don't sound all that long ago.
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| 1954 Oldsmobile |
So I did some reading, and sure enough, there was a spell when mammals couldn't detect blues and greens very well. It was back when dinosaurs ruled the day and mammals became nocturnal, losing the ability to see certain colors and instead relying on the ability to sense pheromones and smells.
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| Sky and trees near Odell Lake, Oregon |
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| Reub's favorite toys. Dogs can detect blue, so he sees them very well. |
So it was a trade-off. Hmmmmm...what would I rather be able to do?
Sense pheromones and smell the world around me more distinctly?
Or see the color blue?
Or see the color blue?
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| Middle school track meet: the high jump |
Apparently we can't have both.
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| Talamone, Italy |
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| Nesting murres, Oregon coast |
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| Just Easter eggs, not murre eggs |
Well, besides the obvious reason, which is... they're beautiful.
I had trouble commenting just now.
ReplyDeleteRepeat
"Dogs are good with smells (and being smelly) with can't see colours, or so I'm told.
that should be "but"
ReplyDeletei'll take seeing blue over super smell talent any day. :)
ReplyDeleteBlogger commenting has been messed up lately, Friko. Thanks for persisting!
ReplyDeleteHey you know what? I have the best of both worlds; I can indeed see blue PLUS my sense of smell is 10,000 times better than you people.
Listen to this:
"They (dogs) cannot distinguish between red, orange, yellow or green. They can see various shades of blue and can differentiate between closely related shades of gray that are not distinguishable to people.
When comparing dog and human vision, people are better at depth perception, color perception and seeing minute details of an object. Dogs are better at seeing in dim light, responding to an image rapidly and detecting the slightest motion. They also have better peripheral vision." (by Dr. Dawn Ruben...no relation...:-D)
I can't imagine not seeing the color blue. the ocean as black? No wonder they thought it was full of monsters.
ReplyDeleteThe favourite colour of men is blue and women like men who wear blue because they see it as reliable and dependable! However, i guess that duck-egg-blue isn't the blue men favour the most. However, out of all the blues you showed, it was the eggs that my vision found most pleasing. What does that say about me?!!!
ReplyDeleteSome wonderful shades complimenting a wonderful piece that leads to the wonder that is contemplation!
Thank you once again Ed and Reub
Saul
Great post! I definitely appreciate being able to see blue, but without having experienced what I am missing it would be a tough choice.
ReplyDeleteI like your blues, Kerry, whatever else may be going on in world of color and pheromone detection.
ReplyDeleteYour "Window detail, Florence, Italy" looks familiar. Guess I should look at the old pictures.
My favorite color for clothing is blue on men and red for women.
Happy MidWeek Blues. I liked your collection of pictures very much.
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All over blue :) - In some of our China photos, I think it´s China #3 Tai Chi there is also no sky only grey because of polution in the city of Beijing. LG Tina
ReplyDeletethis post is so interesting and I learned something
ReplyDeleteand your photos are a feast for the eyes
very interesting post! so glad we can see blue.:p gorgeous photos.
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