Rich Magenta

Magenta is a blend of purple and red: it combines the strength, passion, and energy of red with the reflective, quiet energy of purple. It has a more rational feel than pink and is less aggressive than red. You could say it carries the energy of emotional clarity. Magenta is a colour of vibrant warmth, similar to red—friendly, generous, understanding, and loving. Its wavelength is equal to that of green, radiating the same frequency.

Magenta can be paired with white, sandy tones, blue, or pink. With black, it becomes very dramatic; with white, fresh; with silver, perfect for evening wear; and with shades of grey, more subdued.

Named After the Town of Magenta
Originally called fuchsine, the colour was renamed in honour of the 1859 victory of the Italian-French army over Austria at the Battle of Magenta, a small town in Lombardy, Italy.

Branka Urbanija on the “Super Colour” Magenta
On the TV show Dobro jutro, Branka Urbanija—designer, cultural anthropologist, practitioner of spatial sensory design and Feng Shui—presented magenta as a super colour.

Everything around us can be translated into colour—sound, thought, word, emotion, value, or belief. Even the goal we set for a given year can be expressed through colour. Magenta is a colour that can define a year, as well as reflect the state of our society. It is called a super colour because it contains the spectrum of all wavelengths and can be combined with all other colours. It symbolises harmonisation, acceptance of all aspects of life, and balance between the physical and mental.

Red only arrived in Europe in the 16th century, brought from South America and produced from dried cochineal insects (parasites living on cacti, native to tropical regions of South America and Mexico). It was an extremely precious colour—the colour of rulers.

When we are healthy, we are open and able to embrace all colours. Magenta is the colour that leads us toward acceptance of all colours, all aspects of life, and personal liberation. It even opens the heart dimension of life in men, a side often neglected, helping them to move more lightly through life and feel freer.

A Few of Branka’s Tips

• Black is not energetically negative—it is a protective colour. During challenging life events, wearing black clothing can offer a sense of protection.
• Negative colour combinations include: orange and purple, purple and green, and orange and green.
• To make the most of your day, Branka suggests colour dressing by day of the week:
  • Monday – white
  • Tuesday – red
  • Wednesday – orange
  • Friday – green
  • Saturday – purple
  • Sunday – yellow

Photos: Liu Jo, Patrizia Pepe, Pinko, Comma, Pinterest