See also: Black (homonymy)

The black is generally regarded as a Couleur.

Indeed, if one considers the subtractive Synthèse, the black is obtained by a mixture of pigments absorbing each one a Wavelength, combined so as to all absorb them; it is well a color obtained by mixture. Nevertheless, if one considers the additive Synthèse (superposition of monochromatic beams luminous), the black is on the contrary an absence of color.

One thus opposes the black to the Blanc, since the white is consisted of the visible whole wavelengths. When one combines the three primary colors in equivalent proportions in the additive synthesis, one goes thus from the black to the white while passing by all the nuances of Gris.

Symbolic system

In the Symbolic system Occident ale, the black is associated with:

• sobriety, elegance and refinement, richness, luxury, the nobility. (ex: smoking and other behaviors of ceremony and luxury articles; a black standard is the emblem of the make of car Ferrari).
• the mystery, darkness, the unknown, which is hidden (for example the black-market) or what one does not see (the black Matière), occults it.
• authority, power, dignity, capacity, the threat (for example the dress of the ecclesiastic, the uniform of the police officer, the supervisor, lawyer, the judge).
• austerity, the negative one, the Badly, the harmful one, death, mourning, sadness, despair, fear. For example, in the title of the novel of Stendhal, Red and the Black. Sometimes, it is about the Obscurantisme as in the expression Grande blackness .
• the revolt, the Anarchy (the black flag is the flag of the anarchists).
• In esotericism the black color is associated with elements supposed to belong to the other side of the world, in particular the Ténèbres: the black Moon (Lilith), black Sun, Work with the black which names " nigrida" , the black magic, the black stone of the Kaaba, the black angel, etc
• the origin of this symbolic system resides in the fact that the black is the color of the Nuit, of the darkness, of thevisible one. Contrary to the White , Light.
• In the code of colors of electrical resistances and the condensers, the black color corresponds to figure 0, the multiplier x1 and a temperature coefficient of 200ppm. In the standard CEI 60757, one names it BK (abbreviation of black).
• black Belt: rank of the Judo and the Karate, corresponding to 1st in (10th level) and following. It follows the Ceinture chestnut.
• In ancient Egypt the black had a positive symbolic system, indeed in the language of the Pharaons the verb “kem” which is drawn from the “black” word wants to say “to conclude, to rise with, achieve, pay, supplement, be used for” but also “to be black”. The word “kem” wants to also say: “complete, perfect, obligation, duty”.

Use

• As black painting covered a much more large surface that others and to reduce the costs while freeing itself from the need for having several baths of painting, the manufacturer of cars at price of aubaine (Model T) Henry Ford about 1920 is famous to have said: “you can choose the color which you wish provided that it is the black”.

• the black color is most economic, most readable also, this is why it is that which is used for the monochromic printers and the photocopiers and in printing works. Newspapers, books and leaflets are mainly printed in black.

• It is the principal color of the administrative documents, the legal advertisements, legal postings. The black impression on blank paper is regulated besides in France, it is interdict to affix printed white posters in black because it is a color reserved for official postings of the state and administration.

• the Romance black, the Black series, the Black film, are expressions to indicate a kind of history in matter dramatic, pessimistic, tragedy generally associated with a police intrigue or a suspense.

• By metonymy, the " cinema noir" indicate an independent cinematographic kind, born in the United States, where the actors are mainly black.

• black Clothing and black make-up is the distinctive signs of the Gothic movement.

• One understands by “black meat” the flesh of the roe-deers, deer, wild boars, stags and bear (There is also the meat Rouge and the meat Blanc He).

• associated Expressions:

• “To have black thoughts”, “To crush black”
• “black Humor”
• “To be on the black list”
• “To be the black sheep”
• “To be the pet peeve”
• “To throw a black look”
• “Black-market”
• “black Mood”
• “Moonlighting”, “to be paid with the black”

Pigments and dyes

Usual pigments of the colourists

• PBk1 : Azine, known as black of aniline.
• PBk6: Carbon black (generally obtained by carbonization of plants like the charcoal).
• PBk7: Amorphous carbon black said almost pure .
• PBk9: Black of bone (obtained by calcination of hard bones).
• PBk10: Graphite whose color is rather a dark gray.
• PBk11: Black iron oxide.
• PBk16: Zinc dust (gray dark).

The black color being consumed more by the man for the writing (Indian ink), printing works, the photocopiers, the printers, painting, it is probably also the color for which there exists the greatest number of processes to produce it.

Roughly speaking, one can classify the black dyes in four families: ivory black, vegetable blacks, mineral blacks and blacks of synthesis.

• black Pigments of animal origin: ivory black, black of bone, wood black of stag, black of rhinoceros, wool black,
• black Pigments of vegetable origin: black of vine, Lampblack black of campêche, or black of Soot, Lampblack, black obtained by Pyrogravure (wood flaring), black of charcoal, black of the Indian ink
• black Pigments of mineral origin: blacks of vase, Kohl, black of Prussia, ground of Cassel, bituminizes, lead powder (toxic)
• black Pigments of chemical or synthetic origin: black of Mars or iron black (iron oxide), manganese black (manganese oxide and dioxide), carbon black.

Beings, things and objects

• Animal : black Panther, corbel, Grackle, black Blackbird, Bull black, cat black,
• Vegetable : wood of ebony, the black Morelle, the juice of Liquorice
• Mineral : black onyx, Coal, coal, Anthracite, Graphite, Tar, Bitumen, black gold, tallow, black dust of pollution, black smoke of the combustion of the greasy substances,
• Food products : Black chocolate, brown butter sauce, black of cuttlefish, black salt of Hawaii (Collected on the island of Molokaï in the archipelago of Hawaii, it owes its black color with the activated carbon present in its composition) , black diamond indicates the truffle of Périgord, Trompette of dead the, Réglisse,
• Peinture S : to see the tables of Pierre Soulages, Andre Marfaing
• Films : the black Eyes, the festival Black screens, Work with the black, the black Standard, the Block box, the Worrying lady in black, the Return of the black standard, black Sun, Poly and black diamond, Something in the black, Go in black, the black Curtain, the black Captain, the black Rider, the Red and the black, Rouge and black, black Sable, black Sac, the black Knight, the black Dog, Sucre black, the Three gloves of the lady in black, a black country, It Black diamond, X black, the Revenge on the woman in black, Black like the memory, the black Rat of America, black Devil, the black File, the Secrecy of the lady in black, the Perfume of the lady in black, etc
• Romance S : red and the black, Black shade,
• Characters : Zorro, the black Phantom, Batman, Dark Vador.
• Cartoon : the Black Island (Tintin), Tintin with the country of the black gold, Chronic of the Black Moon, the Day of the black sun
• Plays : With the failures and the Ladies, the blacks indicate the black parts and are opposed to the Blanc S; with the caster the 18 black numbers (in opposition to the 18 numbers Red S), with the charts the black ones are the spades and the clover (in opposition to the hearts and squares which is red).
• Music , Songs: the black (in the musical notation), “Black it is black”, " group; Black Desire " , " group; Black Socks " , " group; Black Silence "
• Various : Small black dress, blasting powder (explosive), lead pencil with eyelids, Kohl, asphalts, eye with the brown butter sauce, Cadre Noir (riding of elite)

Gallery of things, beings and objects

, originating in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in South Asia and Oceania (Mélanésie in particular). The use of this terminology was particularly current in Europe as from the 19th century, according to the classification of the human people according to one of the apparent criteria (theory racialist). A person with the skin very dark or black skin is designated like " black " in the current language.

See too

• black Body
• Great Blackness
• the Prince Noir (Edouard de Woodstock)
• Bète black