
Red-violet is a rich color of high medium saturation about 3/4 of the way between red and magenta, closer to
magenta
Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
than to red. In American English, this color term is sometimes used in
color theory
Color theory, or more specifically traditional color theory, is a historical body of knowledge describing the behavior of colors, namely in color mixing, color contrast effects, color harmony, color schemes and color symbolism. Modern color th ...
as one of the purple colors—a non-
spectral color between red and violet that is a deep version of a color on the
line of purples on the
CIE chromaticity diagram.
In use by some artists red-violet is equivalent to purple. Since violet and purple vary so much in meaning when comparing speakers from different countries and languages, there is much confusion.
The
Munsell color system
The Munsell color system is a color space that specifies colors based on three properties of color: hue (basic color), value (lightness), and colorfulness, chroma (color intensity). It was created by Albert Henry Munsell, Albert H. Munsell in the ...
includes the hue term purple, and for some (especially US) speakers of English at the maximum chroma of 12, this refers to 'Red-Purple". This convention is for chromatic purposes, since Red-Purple lies between
violet and
printer's magenta (the
color regarded as magenta before the invention of the
web color magenta for computer displays).
Relationship of red-violet to other colors
Red-violet is part of the red "analogous color group", which also includes
magenta
Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
,
red,
red-orange,
orange,
gold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
, and
yellow
Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In t ...
, i.e., those colors classified as "warm colors", or colors that produce a feeling of warmth (as opposed to "cool colors").
The color that is the
complement of red-violet,
mint green, lies halfway between
green
Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...
and
spring green
Spring Green or spring green may refer to:
Colors
* Spring green
** Spring bud, formerly known as spring green
Plants
* Spring greens, edible young leaves of certain plants
* Spring greens (Brassica oleracea), vegetables
Places in the United S ...
. It is very close to
sea green but highly
saturated and of a bright
hue.
In some traditional usage, red-violet is the name given to an intermediate, or
tertiary color
A secondary color is a color made by mixing two primary colors of a given color model in even proportions. Combining two secondary colors in the same manner produces a tertiary color. Secondary colors are special in traditional color theory, ...
that, along with yellow-orange (gold) and also green-blue (
cyan
Cyan () is the color between blue and green on the visible spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a predominant wavelength between 500 and 520 nm, between the wavelengths of green and blue.
In the subtractive color system, or CMYK c ...
), forms a
color wheel
A color wheel or color circle is an abstract illustrative organization of color hues around a circle, which shows the relationships between primary colors, secondary colors, tertiary colors etc.
Some sources use the terms ''color wheel'' an ...
triad group. Most contemporary usage, however, would list magenta as the name for the tertiary color in question.
Red-violet
Red-violet or pigment purple (pigment red-violet) represents the way the color purple (red-violet) was normally reproduced in pigments, paints, or colored pencils in the 1950s on an old-fashioned
RYB color wheel. This color is displayed at right.
The
normalized color coordinates
Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science
* Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations
* Normalization model, used in v ...
for red-violet are identical to medium violet red, which was first recorded as a color name in English with the formalization of the
X11 color names
In computing, on the X Window System, X11 color names are represented in a simple text file, which maps certain strings to RGB color values. It was traditionally shipped with every X11 installation, hence the name, and is usually located in ''< ...
over 1985–1989.
By the 1970s, because of the advent of
psychedelic art
Psychedelic art (also known as psychedelia) is art, graphics or visual displays related to or inspired by psychedelic experiences and hallucinations known to follow the ingestion of psychedelic drugs such as lysergic acid diethylamide, LSD, psil ...
, artists became used to brighter pigments, and pigments called "purple" or "bright purple" that are the pigment equivalent of
electric purple became available in artist's pigments and colored pencils. Reproducing electric purple in pigment requires adding some
white
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
and a small amount of blue to red-violet pigment. Even then, the reproduction will not be exact, because it is impossible for pigment colors to be so bright as colors displayed on a computer.
Variations of red-violet
Kobi
At the right is displayed the color kobi.
The color name "kobi" for this light tone of red-violet has been in use since 2001, when it was promulgated as one of the colors on th
Xona Color List
Pink lavender
The color pink lavender is displayed at the right.
The source of this color is the "
Pantone Textile Paper eXtended (TPX)" color list, color #14-3207 TPX—Pink Lavender.
Puce
Puce is a medium grayish red-violet color.
Pale red-violet
The color pale red-violet (identical to the web color "pale violet red") is displayed at the right.
This color is a pale tone of red-violet.
Violet-red
The color violet red is displayed at the right. A bright tone of red-violet, it has been a
Crayola
Crayola LLC, formerly the Binney & Smith Company, is an American manufacturing and retail company specializing in list of art media, art supplies. It is known for its brand ''Crayola'' and best known for its crayons. The company is headquartered ...
color since 1958.
Cerise
The color
cerise is displayed at the right. It is a deep- to vivid-reddish
pink
Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...
color.
Red-purple
Red-purple is the color that is called ''Rojo-Purpura'' (the Spanish word for "red-purple") in the ''Guía de coloraciones'' (''Guide to colorations'') by Rosa Gallego and Juan Carlos Sanz, a color dictionary published in 2005 that is widely popular in the
Hispanophone
Hispanophone refers to anything related to the Spanish language.
In a cultural, rather than merely linguistic sense, the notion of "Hispanophone" goes further than the above definition. The Hispanic culture is the legacy of the vast and prolonge ...
realm.
Although "red-purple" is a seldom-used color name in English, in Spanish it is regarded as one of the major tones of
purple
Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...
.
Blush
The color blush is displayed at the right.
The first recorded use of "blush" as a color name in English was in 1590.
"Blush" has been a Crayola color since 1998. It was originally called "cranberry", until 2005.
Smitten
Displayed at the right is the color smitten.
"Smitten" is one of the colors on th
Resene Color List a color list widely popular in Australia and New Zealand. The color was formulated in 2011.
Medium red-violet
Medium red-violet is the medium tone of the color red-violet that is called "red-violet" in
Crayola crayons. It has been a Crayola color since 1930.
Fandango
Displayed at the right is the color fandango.
The first recorded use of "fandango" as a color name in English was in 1919.
Flirt
At the right is displayed the color flirt.
The first recorded use of "flirt" as a color name in English was in 1928.
In 2001, "flirt" was included as one of the colors on the Xona Color List.
Popstar
Displayed at the right is the color popstar.
"Popstar" is one of the colors on the Resene Color List. It was formulated in 2006.
Jazzberry jam
The color jazzberry jam is displayed at the right.
This color, a deep shade of red-violet, was formulated by Crayola in 2003.
Wine
At the right is displayed the color wine.
The color "wine" is a representation of the average color of red wine.

The first recorded use of "wine" as a color name in English was in 1705.
Byzantium
The color Byzantium is displayed at the right.
The first recorded use of "byzantium" as a color name in English was in 1926.
Eggplant
Eggplant is a dark purple or purplish brown,
color that resembles the color of the outer skin of European
eggplant
Eggplant (American English, US, Canadian English, CA, Australian English, AU, Philippine English, PH), aubergine (British English, UK, Hiberno English, IE, New Zealand English, NZ), brinjal (Indian English, IN, Singapore English, SG, Malays ...
. Another name for the color "eggplant" is aubergine
[ (the French and British English word for eggplant).
The first recorded use of "eggplant" as a color name in English was in 1915.][Maerz and Paul ''A Dictionary of Color'' New York: 1930 McGraw-Hill Page 194; Color Sample of Eggplant: Page 119 Plate 48 Color Sample H12]
The dark gray
Grey (more frequent in British English) or gray (more frequent in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning that it has no chroma. It is the color of a cloud-covered s ...
ish-red-violet color shown in the color box as "eggplant" was introduced by Crayola in 1998.
Violet-red (Per Bang)
Violet-red (Per Bang) is the bright color of red-violet.
Wrapping the spectrum into a color wheel
If the visible spectrum is wrapped to form a color wheel, red-violet appears midway between red and magenta
Magenta () is a purple-red color. On color wheels of the RGB color model, RGB (additive) and subtractive color, CMY (subtractive) color models, it is located precisely midway between blue and red. It is one of the four colors of ink used in colo ...
:
See also
* RAL 3004 Purple red
* List of colors
These are the lists of colors;
* List of colors: A–F
* List of colors: G–M
* List of colors: N–Z
* List of colors (alphabetical)
* List of colors by shade
* List of color palettes
* List of Crayola crayon colors
* List of RAL colours
* List o ...
References
{{Color topics
Shades of red
Shades of violet