I recall the name of the sensational bestseller. To catch the “50 shades of gray”, you need to be a truly profound connoisseur. Only a sophisticated nature is available such a rich palette. Not just knowing what shades are, but the ability to discern and feel the nuances - is it a special gift or a punishment in the form of additional experiences?
To check whether this threatens the readers of these lines is easy: try to name, no, not 50, at least 25 shades of something. Does not work? What about 10? Well, with five, then, probably, everyone will cope!
Historical shades
Traditionally, painters on canvases add darker colors in the places necessary for the plot, apply shadows, that is, shade. It is from this verb that a noun of the feminine gender “shade” was formed more than two hundred years ago.
- "The maestro shared with the students the secrets of his famous shades."
How and why over time the word changed gender to masculine is difficult to track.
Thus, the German word Schattierung was translated at the beginning of the 18th century in the meaning of “obscuring with traits or paints during painting” of those places where “light is obscured”.
- "Unimaginable shades strike the figures in these paintings."
The dictionary of the Academy of the Russian “shade” explains how:
It is to this second meaning that the synonym of the masculine gender “shade” is first encountered here.
What is the single-root “shade” placed in the same article in the dictionary? This is, firstly, the very edge of the shadow, which is still “overshadowed by the body”.
- "A magical shade of earth at the time of the lunar eclipse caught his eye."
And, secondly, a barely noticeable difference. So the meaning of the word "shade" begins to take on a figurative meaning.
Painter and literary critic - connoisseurs of shades
A barely noticeable difference in anything is beginning to be called just that.
One word shades all of them. Precious word invented by the genius himself, you are suitable for everything! The shades of my heart, the shades of my mind, the shades of my memory, and you can even say: the shades of my wife, the shades of my tobacco!
This is from the “Discussions of the Old and New Syllables of the Russian Language” by a literary critic and writer, former Minister of Education, the State Secretary and the President of the Russian Academy in the first half of the 18th century, A. S. Shishkov.
What is the "shade" is well understood by the artist, who will call it another "Valera" when it comes to the ratio of light and shadow in one color.
The painter reveals any color (color) into shades. If the color of some surface casts additional to the main one, then this will also be a “shade”. It can be the result of plaque on the surface, partial shade, called "blueness" or "goldenness".
- "Barely breaking into the basement, the light gave people unnatural shades of green."
- "The sunset skies of his homeland - this is where the landscape painter drew the richness of his shades."
Shades of meaning
And if the definition of the words “shades of color” is clear, then the figurative meaning of the concept will also not cause difficulties.
Nuances, subtle differences can be very much. A sensitive and attentive person easily distinguishes shades:
- tones of speech
- moods
- meanings
- feelings
- tastes and so on.
Examples of use:
- "The tone of his speech had a clear connotation of neglect."
- "She remembered every minute of the meeting, looking for more and more new details and shades."
- "The tint of triumph flashed in his gaze."
The knowledge of what “shades” are and the ability to work with them are testimonies of the artist’s skill. And the ability to capture various shades, feel and express them makes everyone's life more saturated emotionally.