I hadn’t realised how political colours could be until I dived into the history of blue.
The rise of blue in the late Middle Ages coincided with the rise of a much more complex hierarchy in society.
The Virgin Mary became more important in worship, and as blue shifted from devilish to divine, she was depicted more and more in an intense ultramarine.
This served to emphasise her importance as it was a very costly blue: the lapis lazuli needed to create the pigment was, at the time, more expensive than gold.
French royalty appropriated Mary’s symbolism - both blue and lilies - in their coats of arms and kings started to wear blue themselves.
Before long blue became the colour to wear for anyone who wanted to show that they mattered.
In a very short timespan blue moved from devilish to divine to royal.
The stunning Wilton Diptych from the National Gallery with its explosion of blue on the panel depicting the Virgin illustrates this shift beautifully.
Today, look for those shades of blue that make you feel positively royal.
What blues do you see, covet or wear that make you feel like a king or queen?
Spot them, capture them and share them using the hashtag #kramerseye on Twitter or Instagram.