Black

Black is a colour which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic colour, without hue, like white and gray. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have often been used to describe opposites such as good and evil, the Dark Ages versus Age of Enlightenment, and night versus day. Since the Middle Ages, black has been the symbolic colour of solemnity and authority, and for this reason is still commonly worn by judges and magistrates.

Black was one of the first colours used by artists in neolithic cave paintings. It was used in ancient Egypt and Greece as the colour of the underworld. In the Roman Empire, it became the colour of mourning, and over the centuries it was frequently associated with death, evil, witches and magic. In the 14th century, it was worn by royalty, clergy, judges and government officials in much of Europe. It became the colour worn by English romantic poets, businessmen and statesmen in the 19th century, and a high fashion colour in the 20th century. According to surveys in Europe and North America, it is the colour most commonly associated with mourning, the end, secrets, magic, force, violence, evil, and elegance.

Black ink is the most common colour used for printing books, newspapers and documents, as it provides the highest contrast with white paper and thus is the easiest colour to read. Similarly, black text on a white screen is the most common format used on computer screens. As of September 2019, the darkest material is made by MIT engineers from vertically aligned carbon nanotubes.