Biblical colour symbolism and interpretation of Christian art

This contribution seeks to promote an awareness of Biblical colour symbolism for the appreciation of Christian art, and illustrates its significance for religious Renaissance paintings. From a theological premise, the visual arts are appreciated as an expression of spiritual values. Applying a classical philological grammatical method, this article argues for the reception of colour as a creative manifestation, with the medium (material) that constitutes the colour as part of the message. It calls attention to the spiritual value of contrast (e.g. black and white, red and blue) and identifies the role of four specific colours in Scripture: black, white, blue and red, while confirming their later use in Renaissance pictures and otherwise by the liturgical practices of the Western Church.