What Do You Get When You Mix Red and Black? (Combination Meaning)

Have you ever wondered what do you get when you mix red and black? Look no more. We´ve got you covered.

The upfront answer to the question of what happens when you mix red and black is that you will get burgundy or brown. However, the answer becomes a lot more philosophical when you explore what the two colors have always represented. It is a mixing of life and death.

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What Is It With Black and Red?

Black and red colors have different meanings and emotions attached to them depending on who is using them. Fans of the University of Georgia Bulldogs wear red and black in patriotic fashion every Saturday during the fall season.

Some will mix the two for holidays, like Christmas and Valentine’s Day. After all, there aren’t many combinations that portray as much drama as red and black.
Reds and blacks also mix and play off each other in a picture of a sunset. Nothing can be more beautiful.

However, the red and black colors haven’t always enjoyed such a fan base. Both go back to ancient beliefs of Satan worship and death.

Red traditionally represents either blood or anger. That can be good or bad, depending on how you view blood.

While blood could represent violence, it can also represent life. After all, blood is a life force. It can save lives. The Christian faith always talks about blood of Christ offering salvation.

Communion represents consuming the blood and body of Christ for salvation, which early people’s misrepresented as cannibalism because they didn’t understand the ritual.

Black doesn’t enjoy dual meanings. It has always represented death. It is an absence of color and could be construed as absent of life.

That is one reason it carries over as part of modern traditions, such as wearing black to show grief at funerals.

Red and Black in Media

The media, including movies and record albums, have continued with the more superstitious beliefs about red and black. Devil characters, including Halloween costumes, are typically dressed in red. Dracula has a black cape with a red liner. Bad guys in Westerns always wore black hats.

We even refer to those who are committing crimes on behalf of an entity or a government as “black hats.”

The combination meaning is a popular one for covers or credits in horror films, spooky books, and even in darker video games.

Black and red are considered “edgy,” which is why they are prominent in the Goth movement. It is also why it’s a favorite for those playing as gang members in movies and television shows. It represents being out of the mainstream.

A popular concept for film and television is to put the hero in white and blue while their rival or evil counterpart is dressed in red and black.

Red As Rebellion

Red is associated with rebellion for many reasons. Film and television have typically portrayed beautiful women in red as dangerous, even immoral.

Julia Roberts, portraying a prostitute with a good heart, wore red for an event scene in the movie “Pretty Woman.” Other actresses have worn red when they portray spies or other deceptive characters.

The color red became the lipstick of choice for American women in the 1940s to show patriotism and as an act of rebellion against fascist German dictator Adolph Hitler.

As the story goes, Hitler condemned the color red.

His comments about the color sparked a trend for women working in factories and the military as husbands, brothers, and boyfriends went off to war.

They started wearing red lipstick to show their support for the American troops and for the global cause to stop the atrocities under Hitler.

Mixing Red And Black Color >> Check out the video below:

https://youtu.be/Po11LMlo5ag?t=1

Black as a Positive

Yes, the Grim Reaper wears a black robe. However, black has enjoyed many fans in the fashion and home decor industry. It is a neutral color that can add a dramatic flair to anything.

Fashion loves black because it can make anyone look a little thinner and easily hide unflattering elements. A color shoe, handbag, and jewelry can add pizzazz to a black outfit.

Who doesn’t have a little black dress that works virtually anywhere for any event?

Men have always been considered powerful and sophisicated in black. Judges wear black.

Home fashion can take black to high end elegance. Black and white mixes are considered classy. A splash of a bright color, like red, yellow or blue, in pillows or paintings adds a solid punch.

Black and white weddings were a trend a few years ago. Bouquets were the color accessories at the ceremony and centerpieces were often the note of color at the reception.

Formal events demand a black and white tux. Long black ball gowns are considered chic. Black retains an air of elegance, class, and wealth for a part of the modern culture.

The Philosophical Mix

Mixing red and black could be similar to mixing life, found in blood, with death. That is considered to be unholy in some belief systems. For example, Jewish tradition forbids mixing milk and meat in recipes for the same reason.

Milk represents life while meat represents death.

This deeper meaning could be one reason movies and other forms of entertainment like to mix the two as representations of life and death.

Varying Shades

The rule of color and art is that adding black to anything is going to darken the shade. Those who add a little black to a red will make it slightly darker.

The more black that’s added, the darker it becomes until it turns into a dark brown, a muddy red, or a deep burgundy.

The same can be said of life and that idea is represented in movies with the changing shades of colors to show the theme.

You can have a vibrant life but start adding darkness. Pretty soon, you have nothing beautiful and your vibrance is darkened to something unbecoming.

Conclusion

Red and black are colors that can represent many things beyond what society has always claimed they represented.

Their representative meanings have been instilled in our psyche for thousands of years and are so ingrained in society that they will likely always show up in culture.

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