Inspiration in the color cornflower.
Learn the history and meaning of the color cornflower, the calming blue with a refreshing breath of green.
How to use the color cornflower.
Cornflower color in graphic design.
The color cornflower in fashion and interior design.
The meaning of the color cornflower comes from the original symbolism of the flower.
Combine cornflower with other colors.
Information about cornflower color.
The cornflower HEX code picker is #9ACEEB. This is the cooling shade of pale blue given a hint of vibrancy with a slight tinge of green.
The color cornflower can be achieved in a RGB space with 154 red, 206 green, and 235 blue. Cornflower color can be achieved in a CMYK color space with 34% cyan, 12% magenta, 0% yellow, and 8% black.
What is the meaning of the color cornflower?
Cornflower color is a light blue named after the celestial blue flower. The color cornflower has the smallest trace of green, but is still so blue that its meaning more closely matches other light blues. Cornflower color evokes calmness and coolness, and it’s flowed in and out of popularity along with other pastels.
Cornflower color holds its place in pastel palettes as a blue with a wisp of green mixed in.
The history of cornflower color.
Cornflower blue color dates back to Greek mythology.
The cornflower blossom was considered a source of life and fertility in Ancient Greece. The oldest documented legend of cornflower’s power tells a tale of wounds that Achilles suffered from a poisoned arrow. A cornflower was used to heal him. The color cornflower, too, shared this early association of promoting health and sustaining all forms of life.
Cornflower color traveled from Ancient Greece and Egypt to Christian lore.
Remnants of the cornflower were uncovered in Ancient Egyptian tombs, too, suggesting its use in ceremonious rites. The cornflower later became a symbol of Christian lore in the Middle Ages. The color cornflower was used to depict its namesake in Christian frescos, which continued to represent life. In the late Renaissance, the flower and the color cornflower gained a new level of popularity credited to Marie Antoinette. Cornflower color was said to be the color of her eyes.
Cornflower color was added to the crayon box.
The color cornflower is sometimes called cyanus, which means “blue” in Greek. Its common name gained popularity in English after the turn of the 19th century. Cornflower color was introduced into the Crayola crayon box in 1958.
The color cornflower across different cultures.
Cornflower color in the art world.
The color cornflower was a favorite of the painter Johannes Vermeer. He famously used cornflower color in the turban worn by the girl in Girl with a Pearl Earing (1665). Centuries later in the Impressionist era, Vincent van Gogh depicted actual cornflowers in Cornflowers and Poppies (1887), making beautiful use of the color cornflower in multiple shades.
The color cornflower blue in gemology.
Sapphires come in many shades, but those called “cornflower blue” are among the most desired. These medium-light blue gems are known for their cornflower color translucence. The ability of a gemstone to form in this color requires precise conditions that are rare to this earth.
A new meaning to “I’m blue.”
The popular German song Kornblumenblau — famously recorded by Willy Schneider in 1937 — translates to “cornflower blue.” The song lyrics glorify inebriation with an overtly humorous tone, using the German slang blau for “drunk” and making a play off the blueness of the cornflower.