Green is a secondary colour. Its main complementary colour is red.

It is part of the cool colours.

One of the main uses of green is to represent vegetation, nature. Today, it has become synonymous with ecology.

Like red and blue, it is one of the three main colours of the additive system that defines colours according to the physical. So, green is the fourth colour we see on the spectrum when you pass light through a prism.

According to the subtractive system, in painting green is obtained using a mix of blue and yellow. Depending on the amount of blue added, you can obtain light green, emerald, or dark green. Its shades are khaki, jade, anise, sea green, glaucous, emerald, etc.

Green has often been known to have negative connotations. Since the 13th century, it has frequently been used to represent the devil.  In the theatre, this colour was banished because Molière may have been wearing green when he died on stage.

Green was really first obtained from malachite in Antiquity. In the artistic world, green has long been used sparingly because of its high production price, instability, and how difficult it is to handle. The impressionists were the ones who succeeded in controlling this tricky colour.

One of the painters who stands out in the history of this colour is the English artist William Hooker, who created Hooker green, a mix of Prussian blue and Gamboge yellow. Unfortunately, he didn’t leave the formula and many are still trying to recreate it.