Perceptions of Purple

While creating a purple iris painting, my mind went back to color theory class and the story of purple. The dye came from a snail. (It's amazing to me that anyone would figure how to do that... perhaps a tiny milking stool...)It was, like gold, considered rare and valuable. Therefore, it was the color worn exclusively by royalty.

Since royalty often took on the dual role of secular and spiritual leaders, purple came to be associated with spirituality. Interestingly, these perceptions of purple were not only the case for Western Europe, but also for Egypt, Persia and even as far back in history as Phoenicia and the Minoans. (Phoenicia is Greek for land of the purple.)

Over the years, other sources for the dye and even synthetic purple were created. This made purple dye more available.
Today, in our world of marketing, purple with its mix of red warmth and blue coolness is considered to be exciting yet calming.

What do you think about when you see or wear purple? What associations do you make when you think of purple?