Blue Family

Blue was historically the rarest and most expensive pigment. Ultramarine, ground from lapis lazuli imported from Afghanistan, was more costly than gold in medieval Europe — reserved for painting the Virgin Mary's robes. In Japan, indigo dyeing (ai-zome) became so prevalent during the Edo period that visitors called it 'Japan Blue.' The invention of synthetic Prussian Blue in 1706 democratized the color. In Tuareg culture, indigo-dyed cloth is so significant that the people are called 'Blue Men of the Sahara.' Today, blue dominates digital interfaces — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn — because it conveys trust and reduces eye strain.