The Blue Collection

From the palest of blues to the blazing hue of Colorado skies on a sunny day, we have assembled prominently blue works of art from the Fine Arts Center’s collection. We ask you to sit with this display of artworks with the goal of inspiring you to dwell on your relationship to blue, how it makes you feel, and how the use of the color affects your response to a piece.

Blue pigments, such as ultramarine and indigo, can be sourced from nature. In our collection, you can find the indigo dyed textile Fantasia Antigua (Ancient Fantasy) by Maria Vergara-Wilson and turquoise jewelry created by Victor Coochwytewa. Both of these pieces utilize natural forms of blue.

Historically, blue pigments were rare and expensive commodities. The labor involved in identifying, extracting, transporting, and mixing blue pigments resulted in a restricted use of blue prior to the creation of inexpensive synthetic blue pigments.

The majority of the paintings in our blue collection were produced in the 20th and 21st centuries, meaning that their blues were likely derived from widely available synthetic pigments. Despite its modern day accessibility, the significance of blue, its symbolic meanings, and the diverse feelings it evokes, remain.

Clay Bessire, Colorado College ‘22; Sylvia Cummings, Colorado College ‘22; Lora Yip, Colorado College ‘21

Mellon Museum Summer Interns 2021