MASCULAR 

Perhaps the most noble of the spectrum, the colour BLUE can be powerful or subtle, calming or cold. Through the ages, it has been given many names. From clear to deep, navy or sapphire, cerulean, indigo and aqua – all are different kinds of BLUE showing the enormous range of mood and feel this colour can evoke. In painting, it was the most expensive of pigments. Perhaps it is its ethereal qualities that make it so powerful – while the sky is often BLUE, and ours planet is a little BLUE ball, we can’t actually reach out and experience that kind of BLUE. Apparently, BLUE symbolises security, trust and loyalty – the men in BLUE? Dark BLUE is associated with knowledge, power and integrity – the BLUE suit? Sitting happily between violet and cyan, the theme for Issue No. 39 of MASCULAR Magazine is BLUE.

​

The world BLUE finds its origin in old Germanic languages meaning shimmering and lustrous. With a wavelength of between 450 and 495 nanometres, all the definitions and technicalities fall short of the amazing thing that is BLUE. From BLUE eyes to BLUE bruises, from BLUE jeans to BLUE ink – it’s part and parcel of how we experience and interact with the world. But it is all that it seems? Had a hint of red or yellow and it totally loses its cool. There’s no BLUE food. For all the strength and dignity that it represents, BLUE also seems to have a fragility about it. When you skin turns BLUE, that’s not a good thing - unless you are a Celtic roughian covered in woad. Is BLUE over used?

​

Picasso had his “BLUE Period” and other artists have used the colour to great effect – from the shawl of a Renaissance Madonna to a VanGogh sky – we see how striking it is. And it’s emotional power is immediately perceptible – ask any photographer who fights to achieve the ideal white balance. It’s a perennial battel between BLUE and yellow, cool and warm. BLUE light isn’t generally seen as flattering, that is until you see a dive cast in deep BLUE in a nightclub you fall in love. Does BLUE have or tend towards a gender? Baby boys are now dressed in BLUE to denote their sex, though it was pink in Victorian times. For bigger boys, BLUE signals certain sexual interests ranging from oral to air force or CBT. It’s a significant colour in the leather community as well. 

​

We are asking you to consider the colour BLUE and the place it occupies in your creative life. From eye colour to denim – it is everywhere, but where do you think it belongs. Perhaps you totally reject and hate BLUE – tell us more about that. Maybe BLUE means uniforms for you – show us how and where. For some BLUE is about a darker mood. For others, BLUE is about sound. In whatever form, we look forward to seeing your response to the colour BLUE.

UE. 

If you are interested in contributing to Issue No. 39, please download and complete the Submissions Form below, or for more information, feel free to contact MASCULAR Magazine at: submissions@mascularmagazine.com.

​

Deadline for submissions is January  15, 2024.