Freethought & Rationalism Archive

sakrilege · 05-25-2003, 05:17 AM

Is there a reason why Mary is so often shown wearing blue? Or is this just a midwestern thing and I don't travel enough to see other options? Maybe it's just the lawn ornament industry that has standardized. I assume it's not accurate much like Mary being European looking when she was Jewish.

MortalWombat · 05-25-2003, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sakrilege
Is there a reason why Mary is so often shown wearing blue?

Being a perpetual virgin, she was probably wearing white when she posed for the original picture, but the intense reflection off of Joseph's balls understandably confused the artist.

Yellum Notnef · 05-25-2003, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sakrilege
Is there a reason why Mary is so often shown wearing blue? Or is this just a midwestern thing and I don't travel enough to see other options? Maybe it's just the lawn ornament industry that has standardized. I assume it's not accurate much like Mary being European looking when she was Jewish.

I don't think it's a midwestern thing because Mary is wearing blue in all of her many statues and pictures that decorate my girlfriends mothers house here in MA.

Theres most likely an ancient preChristian significance to the color of her robes.

<<edited because it seems the holy spirit has given me the gift of chronic bad spelling>>

Entropic_Gnosis · 05-25-2003, 10:54 AM

From what i remember, blue was an extreamly expensive pigment for many centuries and its use indicated that the figure was important in some way.

Paperstreet · 05-25-2003, 12:07 PM

What I want to ask is why are her and jesus always white? They were obviously darker skinned if they were from the middle east. (and no where does it mention that jesus had an abnormal appearence)

Toto · 05-25-2003, 12:18 PM

It looks like a medieval thing. Blue dyes were developed about the same time that popular Catholicism elevated Mary to be Queen of Heaven. Pagans think that Mary was originally associated with blue because she was based on an earlier goddess who was associated with the sea.

Significance of colors

Quote:

The color blue

Blue, long ignored or reviled, only achieved notoriety from the 12th century thanks to progress in dyeing techniques (bright hues and "grand teint"), largely for symbolic reasons, thanks to the growing cult for the Virgin Mary. It would become the color of royalty and that of the Virgin who was traditionally depicted in azure blue.* In English, the color "royal blue" is ample proof of the symbolism attached to this color. Similarly, devotion for the Virgin Mary is reflected by the French expression "se vouer au bleu" (dedicate oneself to the Virgin).

Blue, thus popularized, was chosen to represent a number of large national and international institutions (flag of the Council of Europe, the UN; the "blue helmets," etc.), and a number of professions (France�s gendarmerie and police forces); the color also denotes "special merit and distinction" (cordon bleu, blue ribbon, etc.).

*An expensive pigment that is obtained from azurite, a blue semiprecious stone, the only source worthy of the Virgin. It was long reserved only for painting the Virgin�s outer garment.

05-25-2003, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sakrilege
Is there a reason why Mary is so often shown wearing blue? Or is this just a midwestern thing and I don't travel enough to see other options? Maybe it's just the lawn ornament industry that has standardized. I assume it's not accurate much like Mary being European looking when she was Jewish.

Mary is blue (conservative) and Christ is red (liberal) to serve as opposites in the upper house.

Mary was never Jewish because Jews are sinners and Mary is without sin.

Toto · 05-25-2003, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Amos
Mary was never Jewish because Jews are sinners and Mary is without sin.

I hope you are speaking only in some grand theoretical symbolic framework.

I think Christians believe all humans, Jews or gentiles, (with 1 or 2 exceptions) are sinners.

05-25-2003, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Toto
I hope you are speaking only in some grand theoretical symbolic framework.

I think Christians believe all humans, Jews or gentiles, (with 1 or 2 exceptions) are sinners.

It is impossible for Mary to be a sinner because sin is a religious concept (sin is religion specific) that was created to redeem our benevolent first nature. I agree that all humans are in need of redemption but since Mary is all woman, and therefore not human, she was, is and remains sinless.

sakrilege · 05-26-2003, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Amos
Mary is blue (conservative) and Christ is red (liberal) to serve as opposites in the upper house.

I always thought the use of the color red was symbolic for the blood shed. According to Toto's referenced site,

Quote:

Traditionally the most stable color, but extremely expensive, red (particularly purple*) was the most exclusive color, reserved for the elite, to the point that to wear purple without permission was punishable by death.

but it doesn't say anything specifically about Jesus and the color red.

05-25-2003, 05:17 AM	#1
sakrilege Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Cleveland, OH, USA Folding@Home Godless Team Posts: 6,211	The virgin Mary and the color blue Is there a reason why Mary is so often shown wearing blue? Or is this just a midwestern thing and I don't travel enough to see other options? Maybe it's just the lawn ornament industry that has standardized. I assume it's not accurate much like Mary being European looking when she was Jewish.

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05-25-2003, 10:54 AM	#4
Entropic_Gnosis Regular Member Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: The Library Posts: 372	From what i remember, blue was an extreamly expensive pigment for many centuries and its use indicated that the figure was important in some way.

05-25-2003, 12:07 PM	#5
Paperstreet Regular Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Maryland Posts: 175	What I want to ask is why are her and jesus always white? They were obviously darker skinned if they were from the middle east. (and no where does it mention that jesus had an abnormal appearence)

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