purple in other languages

The Color Purple, novel by Alice Walker, published in 1982. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1983. A feminist work about an abused and uneducated African American woman’s struggle for empowerment, The Color Purple was praised for the depth of its female characters and for its eloquent use of Black English Vernacular.

Summary

The Color Purple documents the traumas and gradual triumph of Celie, an African American teenager raised in rural isolation in Georgia, as she comes to resist the paralyzing self-concept forced on her by others. Celie narrates her life through painfully honest letters to God. These are prompted when her abusive father, Alphonso, warns her not to tell anybody but God after he rapes her and she becomes pregnant for a second time at the age of 14. After she gives birth, Alphonso takes the child away, as he did with her first baby, leaving Celie to believe that both have been killed. When the widowed Mr.__ (also called Albert) proposes marriage to Celie’s younger sister, Nettie, Alphonso pushes him to take Celie instead, forcing her into an abusive marriage. Soon thereafter Nettie flees Alphonso and briefly lives with Celie. However, Albert’s continued interest in Nettie results in her leaving.

Celie subsequently begins to build relationships with other black women, especially those engaging forcefully with oppression. Of note is the defiant Sofia, who marries Albert’s son Harpo after becoming pregnant. Unable to control her, Harpo seeks advice, and Celie suggests that he beat Sofia. However, when Harpo strikes her, Sofia fights back. Upon learning that Celie encouraged Harpo’s abuse, she confronts a guilty Celie, who admits to being jealous of Sofia’s refusal to back down, and the two women become friends. More significant, however, is Celie’s relationship with Shug Avery, a glamorous and independent singer who is also Albert’s sometime mistress. Celie tends to an ailing Shug, and the two women grow close, eventually becoming lovers.

During this time Celie discovers that Albert has been hiding letters that Nettie has sent her. Celie begins reading them and learns that Nettie has befriended a minister, Samuel, and his wife, Corrine, and that the couple’s adopted children, Adam and Olivia, are actually Celie’s. Nettie joins the family on a mission in Liberia, where Corrine later dies. The letters also reveal that Alphonso is actually Celie’s stepfather and that her biological father was lynched. Questioning her faith, Celie begins addressing her letters to Nettie. However, Shug later encourages Celie to change her beliefs about God. An emboldened Celie then decides to leave Albert and go to Memphis with Shug. Once there, Celie comes into her own and creates a successful business selling tailored pants. Her happiness, however, is tempered somewhat by Shug’s affairs, though Celie continues to love her. Following Alphonso’s death, Celie inherits his house, where she eventually settles. During this time she develops a friendship with Albert, who is apologetic about his earlier treatment of her. After some 30 years apart, Celie is then reunited with Nettie, who has married Samuel. Celie also meets her long-lost children.

Legacy

The Color Purple movingly depicts the growing up and self-realization of Celie, who overcomes oppression and abuse to find fulfillment and independence. The novel also addresses gender equality. Walker’s best-known work, The Color Purple received widespread critical acclaim, though it was not without critics, many of whom objected to its explicit language and sexual content.

In 1985 Steven Spielberg directed an acclaimed film adaptation of the book; it featured Whoopi Goldberg (Celie), Danny Glover (Albert), and Oprah Winfrey (Sofia). The Color Purple was also adapted for the theatre, and the first Broadway production premiered in 2005.

What two colors make purple?

So, what colors make purple? As purple is a secondary color, the primary colors red and blue make purple when mixed together. However, there are many other colors you can use (including different shades of blue and red) to create different shades of purple color.

Take a look below to see what additional colors you can use to make shades of purple…

How to make shades of purple

Overall, Ultramarine Blue makes a dark purple, while purple mixed with Cobalt Blue will create a lighter shade of purple. Purple mixed with Alizarin Crimson, will also be a little cooler in color temperature, than if you create a purple with blue and Cadmium Red. You can also mix purples with other varieties of reds than mentioned here such as Burnt Siena, Quinacridone Red, and Vermillion.

What colors to mix to make purple muted

You may not always want to have a bright, saturated purple. Muted colors are a very important aspect to any painting as they are what make bright colors to stand out. So knowing what colors make purple muted, allows you to create different shades and combinations of muted colors.

How to mix muted colors using complementary colors

Muted colors are created by mixing a color with its complementary color. Take a look at the color wheel below. The colors that are opposite each other are the complementary colors. So, for example, yellow is the complementary color of purple and red is the complementary color of green.

Mixing purple and yellow to make muted shades of purple

When mixing Yellow Ochre with either Provence Violet Bluish or Dioxazine Purple you get more of an earth tone purple than when it is mixed with Cadmium Yellow. And of course the muted purple that is made with Provence Violet Bluish ends up being lighter than if mixed with Dioxazine Purple.

You are not limited to the colors mentioned in the color chart for creating a muted purple. You can use different shades of purple that you mix up yourself and then mix those with any yellow you choose. Other options for yellows are Cadmium Lemon Yellow, Hansa Yellow, and or whichever other yellow you might have on hand.

If you haven’t already – you can grab my FREE Color Mixing Guide for helpful color mixing instructions and techniques!

How to make dark purple color

Purples can make really great dark colors because they are generally already a darker color. However, there are great ways for how to make the color purple even darker shades of purple! The color chart below shows what colors make purple darker by mixing them with other colors that are dark in value.

Burnt umber mixed with purple creates a nice muted dark purple color. It also makes the purple a bit warmer as burnt umber is warmer in temperature than purple. Pthalo Green mixed with Alizarin Crimson makes a dark black color. So when you mix this color mixture with purple then you end up with a very dark purple color. This is probably one of the darkest purple colors you can mix up for yourself!

Next, you can also mix dark shades of purple using Provence Violet Bluish or any other lighter purple color. Though keep in mind that when using Provence Violet Bluish you will end up with a lighter purple than Dioxazine Purple. However, you can still make a dark purple color with it as seen in the color chart.

How to make light shades of purple

As mentioned before, many purples are darker in value. So, you will undoubtedly run into circumstances when you will need to know how to make the color purple a lighter shade of purple yourself. The obvious color you would mix with purple to lighten it would be white. You can see the difference between both Dioxazine Purple and Provence Violet Bluish when mixing them both with white.

Mixing purple with white

How to make light purple with yellow