Red

Wavelength 620-740 nm
Frequency ~480-400 Thz\
Hex triplet #FF0000
sRGB (255,0,0)
Source X11
Red is a colour at the end of the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation
between infrared and orange. Its wavelength is approximately 740 nm to 620 nm in
length
The reasons proposed behind the socio-cultural and even biological manifestations
of red are so diverse it is impossible to reduce it any coherent and systematic
synthetic understanding. Rather, its emergence and role are socially conditioned
and are more of a result of corollary versus causality.
Purism, with which Charles Jeanneret and Amde Ozenfant, promoted the use of
geometry and primary colors in an attempt to create an universalizing aesthetic.
Rather than the theosophy of Mondrian, pure geometry and primary colors were
seen to be objective and mathematical because they affected the primary
sensations that were common and universal to people. This was in contrast to
secondary which were seen to be culturally mediated senses.
Pigments and dyes
Hematite, or Iron Ore, red ochre
Vermilion pigment, made from cinnabar
Madder plant (red dye)
Alizarin (synthetic Madder plant)
Red lead,
Cochineal
Native to Mexico and South America, Cochineal is a popular source for the crimsoncolored natural dye, carmine, known to be used in food, cosmetics and textiles.
These insects thrive on a species of pear cacti feeding on the plant moisture and
nutrients. Approximately 70,000 insects are needed to produce a pound of dye.
Rather than going into the field each day to harvest cochineal insects, workers
simply collect the cactus leaves they live on.
They then store the leaves inside a greenhouse, where the bugs can continue to
thrive.
The tiny bugs get their color by thriving on the plant's bright red cactus berries,
which are scattered across the leaves.
Once theyve found a place to settle on the cactus, the little critters dont budge
they burrow into the plant and feed for life.

Since the bugs dont budge, workers have to use tough brushes to scrape them off
of the cacti leaves.
The insects might appear whitish-grey on the outside, but inside their bodies are a
deep purpley-red. Cochineal bugs sheath themselves in white, waxy coating to
protect themselves from intense heat and water loss.
A worker uses his fingers to crush a cochineal insect, revealing its deep red color.
Cochineal bugs have been harvested for their intense, easy-to-spot color for
hundreds of years. As early as the 15th century, indigenous peoples living in North,
Central and South America were using the crushed bugs to color fabrics.
By the colonial period, cochineal dye had become one of Mexicos most prized
exports, second only to silver. Here, a worker selects the best insects from the
harvest, which, once dried, he will crush into a grainy, red substance.
That substance is then processed into a powder or mixed with water and made into
a liquid. The pigment can take on several different shades, making it widely
appealing for a variety of uses. The ancient industry has seen a recent economic
revival in South and Central America. Today, Peru exports the most of the dye; the
country produces close to 200 tons of it each year.
Because they're so small just 1/5th of an inch cochineal bugs can only be seen
in detail under a microscope. Their bodies are soft, flat, and oval-shaped.
Alizarin (C14H8O4)
Alizarin is an organic compound used historically as a dye. It is the first natural
pigment to be duplicated synthetically in 1869, originally derived from the Madder
plant. In 1836, the French chemist Pierre-Jean Robiquet found that madder root
contained two colorants: the red alizarin and a less stable purpurin. German
scientists Carl Graebe and Carl Liebermann, working for BASF, found a way to
produce it from antracene, which ultimately was discovered to be abstracted from
coal tar further, increasing Alizarins affordability and use.
Quinacridone pigments
Quinacridone pigments, developed in 1958 by Dupont, largely replaced Alizarin and
has been used extensively in industrial colorant applications like outdoor paints and
inkjet toners.
Naphthol Red
Perinone Pigments