Black

Black

Black is the absence of color. In painting, however, black pigment is the combination of all colors. It is the opposite of white in both additive and subtractive color models. No color can have the same level of dark pigmentation without turning itself into black. As the visual perception of an object's color is determined by the wavelengths of light reflected by the object, objects that absorb all visual wavelengths of light appear to be black. Similarly, objects may appear "black" if they cannot reflect any available wavelengths provided by a particular light source, so it typically absorbs more light and heat than any other color.

Color theory

In the subtractive color model, black could be obtained by mixing pigments, e.g. by mixing the 3 primary colors (red, green and blue) in equal proportions. This is due to the fact that subtractive colors work by absorbing light (which usually contain a mix of different wavelengths), and reflecting those that are not absorbed by the pigment. And because any color can be made by mixing the primary colors, mixing them together would result in the absorption of all visible wavelengths, therefore producing black.

In the additive color system, however, it is merely the absence of light.

Symbolism

Black may be interpreted as a fear-inducing color (presumably due to its association with fear of the unknown),but it may also be seen as "strength" and "courage".[source?]

In general, black can possess a negative meaning (e.g. blackbird, black bunny) or positive one ("in the black", meaning "having earned more money than initially spent"). It can also be associated with formal, elegant and high-class contexts[source?]. In heraldry, black is called "sable".

Tones of black color comparison chart

  • Ebony (Hex: #555D50) (RGB: 54, 69, 79)
  • Charcoal (Hex: #36454F.) (RGB: 254, 254, 250)
  • Dim Gray (web color) (Hex: #696969) (RGB: 105, 105, 105)
  • Cool Black (PMS 295) (Hex: #002E63) (RGB: 0, 46, 99)
  • Davy's Gray (Hex: #555555) (RGB: (85, 85, 85)
  • Midnight Blue (web color) (Hex: #191970) (RGB: 25, 25, 112)
  • Dark Midnight Blue (Crayola: Midnight Blue) (Hex: #003366) (RGB: 0, 51, 102)
  • Oxford Blue (Hex: #002147) (RGB: 0, 33, 71)
  • Russian Violet (Hex: #002147) (RGB: 50, 23, 77)
  • Outer Space (Hex: #2D383A) (RGB: 45, 56, 58)
  • Taupe (Hex: #483C32) (RGB: 72, 60, 50)
  • Bean (Hex: #3D0C02) (RGB: 61, 12, 2)
  • Black Olive (RAL) (Hex: #3B3C36) (RGB: 59, 60, 54)
  • Black Leather Jacket (Hex: #273927) (RGB: 39, 57, 39)
  • Cafe Noir (Black Coffee) (Hex: #4B3621) (RGB: 75, 54, 33)
  • Onyx (Hex: #0F0F0F) (RGB: 15, 15, 15)
  • Bistre (Hex: #3D2B1F) (RGB: 61, 43, 31)
  • Seal Brown (Hex: #321414) (RGB: 50, 20, 20)
  • Eigengrau (Hex: #321414) (RGB: 22, 22, 29)
  • Dark Purple (ISCC-NBS) (Hex: #301934) (RGB: 48, 25, 52)
  • Jet (Hex: #343434) (RGB: 52, 52, 52)
  • Jet Black (RAL 9005) (Hex: #0E0E10) (RGB: 14, 14, 16)
  • Raisin Black (Hex: #242124) (RGB: 36, 33, 36)
  • Charleston Green (Hex: #AE2029) (RGB: 35, 43, 43)
  • Vampire black (Hex: #080808) (RGB: 8, 8, 8)
  • Eerie black (Hex: #1B1B1B) (RGB: 27, 27, 27)
  • Smoky black (Hex: #1B1B1B) (RGB: 16,12,8)
  • Licorice (Hex: #1A1110) (RGB: 26, 17, 16)
  • Night (Hex: #0C090A) (RGB: 12, 9, 10)
  • Black (Hex: #000000) (RGB: 0, 0, 0)

    • References

    1. ↑ "Are Black and White Colors? | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2026-10-26.
    2. ↑ Daniella Emanuel,CNN Animation by Matt Abbiss (2017-09-01). "Why we're scared of the dark | CNN". CNN. Retrieved 2026-10-24. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)