“Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications
The main goal of this article is to summarize and present the most important facts concerning the use of the pink color in the built environment of the 20th and 21st centuries, considering its symbolic, functional, and decorative aspects, with particular emphasis on Western cultures. This monograph...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Arts |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/4/161 |
| _version_ | 1827730395618082816 |
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| author | Justyna Tarajko-Kowalska Przemysław Kowalski |
| author_facet | Justyna Tarajko-Kowalska Przemysław Kowalski |
| author_sort | Justyna Tarajko-Kowalska |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The main goal of this article is to summarize and present the most important facts concerning the use of the pink color in the built environment of the 20th and 21st centuries, considering its symbolic, functional, and decorative aspects, with particular emphasis on Western cultures. This monograph of color is aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the place and meaning of pink in the contemporary architectural space and to allow architects to use this color with greater awareness of its characteristic features. The results of the analysis of over 100 pink buildings and spaces, collected by the authors since 2016, are grouped into seven main thematic sections, which express different ways of applying pink in the built environment: as a traditional color, a stereotypic feminine and girlish color, a contrast color in public spaces, an extravagant color, a symbol of peace, hope, tolerance, and solidarity, a trendy color, and finally an “Instagramable” and fictional color. The main conclusion is that the pink color usage in contemporary architecture is very diverse and reflects the various associations and symbolisms of the color itself, which can only be understood in its socio-cultural contexts. Currently, two opposing tendencies are especially compelling—the first related to the kitschy and plastic aesthetic of “Barbie pink”, and the second associated with more neutral and universal “Millennial pink”. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:08:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-960b6286594f4643996709d0d0427216 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T00:08:40Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj.art-960b6286594f4643996709d0d04272162023-11-19T00:11:08ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522023-07-0112416110.3390/arts12040161“Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary ApplicationsJustyna Tarajko-Kowalska0Przemysław Kowalski1Department of Spatial Planning, Urban and Rural Design, Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, Cracow University of Technology, 31-155 Kraków, PolandThe main goal of this article is to summarize and present the most important facts concerning the use of the pink color in the built environment of the 20th and 21st centuries, considering its symbolic, functional, and decorative aspects, with particular emphasis on Western cultures. This monograph of color is aimed to contribute to a better understanding of the place and meaning of pink in the contemporary architectural space and to allow architects to use this color with greater awareness of its characteristic features. The results of the analysis of over 100 pink buildings and spaces, collected by the authors since 2016, are grouped into seven main thematic sections, which express different ways of applying pink in the built environment: as a traditional color, a stereotypic feminine and girlish color, a contrast color in public spaces, an extravagant color, a symbol of peace, hope, tolerance, and solidarity, a trendy color, and finally an “Instagramable” and fictional color. The main conclusion is that the pink color usage in contemporary architecture is very diverse and reflects the various associations and symbolisms of the color itself, which can only be understood in its socio-cultural contexts. Currently, two opposing tendencies are especially compelling—the first related to the kitschy and plastic aesthetic of “Barbie pink”, and the second associated with more neutral and universal “Millennial pink”.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/4/161pinkMillennial pinkBarbie pinkarchitecturebuilt environmentaesthetics |
| spellingShingle | Justyna Tarajko-Kowalska Przemysław Kowalski “Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications Arts pink Millennial pink Barbie pink architecture built environment aesthetics |
| title | “Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications |
| title_full | “Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications |
| title_fullStr | “Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications |
| title_short | “Pretty in Pink”—The Pink Color in Architecture and the Built Environment: Symbolism, Traditions, and Contemporary Applications |
| title_sort | pretty in pink the pink color in architecture and the built environment symbolism traditions and contemporary applications |
| topic | pink Millennial pink Barbie pink architecture built environment aesthetics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/12/4/161 |
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