RED. An exhibit of Cuban posters curated by designer Pepe Menendez Havana, 2009

Red is the color that corresponds to the lowest light frequency seen by the human eye. The red light’s wavelength is about 700 nm. The lowest frequencies, that is, the longest wavelengths, are called infrared. Red is a complementary color of cyan. In the past, it had been considered a primary color and it was so referred to in non-scientific texts. In this context, green is usually construed as a complementary color of red. However, people know now that colors cyan, magenta and yellow are closer to the genuine primary colors seen by the human eye and are therefore used in modern printing. Color red is commonly evoked to denote fury, as in “red with anger”. The color of the blood triggered an association between red and Mars, the god of wars. In his honor, the red planet was named Mars. Red is used in traffic signs (as in warning, prohibition and stop signs) a well as in traffic lights. Worldwide, red stands for a “state of danger”. “Red code” means emergency and the “red button” is culturally speaking a last-ditch, yet deadly option to make. For a mighty long time –probably beginning with the French Revolution– the color red has been used by revolutionaries and leftists, while white has been the hue of choice among conservatives. For instance, during the civil wars waged in both Russia and Finland, the reds were pitted against the whites. The identification of communism with color red –this was the main color of the Soviet Union’s flag– generated such expressions during the Cold War as “the red threat”. In Chinese symbolism, red is the color of good fortune and is widely used in decorations. In Chinese fellowships, money usually comes wrapped in red packages. Red is also used to denote indebtedness, as in the expression “to be in the red.” This practice stems from Italian accountants who used to mark their debts in red ink and their gains in black ink. Oxygenized blood is red due to the presence of hemoglobin. In Western stock markets, red indicates a dip in the price of shares, while in their Asian counterparts it means a surge in the price tag of stakes. Red is the “color of passion”. Red is also the color of the exact sciences and engineering. (wikipedia.com, January 2009)