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The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Jul 26, 2022 • 14 tweets • 5 min read • Read on X

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Has the world become less colourful?

(This graph shows the colour of objects over time)

If you feel like the world seems increasingly colourless, you're not just imagining it.

Take cars, for example.

Greyscale colours now make up three quarters of cars produced globally, compared to less than 50% in the past.

Just look at a parking lot from the 1980s compared to one today.

And the change has happened to interior design.

These were the most popular colours of the paint brand Dulux in 2020:

And here are the most popular kitchen paint colours in the UK, from 2019-20.

Just compare a typical 1970s home to a modern designer home.

While it is completely understandable if you don't miss the garish colours of bygone eras, it is interesting to note the change.

Similarly, there is a trend of whitewashing everything - be it made of wood, brick, plaster, or whatever.

While grey is now the most common carpet colour:

Neutral colours are by far the most popular when it comes to clothing:

Even McDonald's is less vibrant than it used to be!

This trend includes just about everything.

Consider this study, which analysed the colour of everyday objects over time.

Its conclusion is clear: neutral and greyscale colours *are* more common than ever.

What has caused this change?

And do you think it's for better or worse?

If you found this thought-provoking then you'll like my free weekly newsletter, Areopagus.

Seven short lessons every Friday to make your week more interesting, useful, and beautiful.

culturaltutor.com/areopagus

And here is a link to the fascinating study referenced in this thread.

lab.sciencemuseum.org.uk/colour-shape-u…

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The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Apr 25

From the Byzantines to Brutalism, here's a brief introduction to the architecture of Eastern Europe:

The architectural history of Eastern Europe is fascinating — and differs greatly from Western Europe.

It is also ancient: the oldest gold treasure in the world was discovered in Bulgaria, a country which is also home to the ancient tombs of the kings of Thrace:

The Greeks and Macedonians, and after them the Romans, dominated what we now loosely call Eastern Europe.

Thus some of the best-preserved classical architecture is found there — like the colossal Pula Arena in Croatia, built during the reign of Augustus over 2,000 years ago:

Read 24 tweets

The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Apr 23

To celebrate William Shakespeare's 460th birthday, here are his 46 best (and strangest) insults:

1) "Would thou wert clean enough to spit upon."
~Timon of Athens

2) "You, minion, are too saucy."
~The Two Gentleman of Verona

3) "Thou damned and luxurious mountain goat."
~Henry V

4) "The rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril."
~The Merry Wives of Windsor

5) "Thou hast no more brain than I have in mine elbows."
~Troilus and Cressida

6) "Thou whoreson zed; thou unnecessary letter!"
~King Lear

Read 20 tweets

The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Apr 23

Only one building in London is allowed to have a thatched roof — the Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare acted and plays like Hamlet were first performed.

But this isn't the original Globe Theatre; that burned down 400 years ago.

This one is less than 30 years old...

In the 1590s William Shakespeare was part-owner of an acting company called The Lord Chamberlain's Men.

He wrote their plays and even took part in performances.

They were based in a playhouse in north London, simply called The Theatre.

A legal dispute led to the Theatre being shut down.

But the landlord only owned the land and not the building itself — so the actors dismantled the Theatre, took it south of the Thames, and rebuilt it piece by piece.

In honour of this Herculean task it was named the Globe.

Read 21 tweets

The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Apr 21

A brief introduction to the architecture of universities:

Starting with Kyung Hee University in South Korea...

The great scholar Erasmus once said that the main hope of every society lies in the education of its youth.

What he said 500 years ago remains true.

But it's not only about what you teach; it's also about where you teach.

Because the design of buildings has a colossal influence on how we think, feel, and behave.

Studies have shown what we instinctively know to be true — that the way a building looks and the way it is laid out goes beyond mere "appearance".

Good architecture uplifts us.

Read 24 tweets

The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Apr 19

Exactly 200 years ago today one of history's most influential and controversial writers died.

He kept a pet bear at university, (allegedly) had an affair with his half-sister, fought for Greek Independence — and also wrote some poetry.

This is the story of Lord Byron...

Byron dominated 19th century European culture.

Artists including Hayez, Delacroix, and Turner painted scenes from his poems, and composers including Beethoven, Verdi, and Tchaikovsky set his work to music.

A cultural icon who has shaped literature for two centuries.

The details of the wild life of Lord Byron are impossible to retell in full.

But, in brief, George Gordon Byron was born in London in 1788 to a Scottish heiress, Catherine Gordon, and a philandering British army captain known as John "Mad Jack" Byron.

Read 25 tweets

The Cultural Tutor

@culturaltutor

Apr 18

"Hanami" is underway in Japan — the season when people gather to watch cherry blossom trees, or sakura, in bloom.

It is an ancient tradition that has since become globally popular, with similar gatherings all around the world.

But hanami isn't just about pretty flowers...

The place to begin is with an old story about the King of Persia. He supposedly gathered the wisest men in the land and asked them if there was any sentence which would always be true, whenever it was spoken.

They found an answer — this too shall pass.

As Abraham Lincoln said:

The idea that "this too shall pass" — that nothing in life is permanent — is found in cultures all around the world.

But they haven't always drawn the same conclusions from it...

Read 22 tweets

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