White Aesthetic

Like its opposite, black, white is technically achromatic (i.e. it has no color) and happens when something completely reflects all wavelengths of light to give a completely blended spectrum – so scientifically speaking white is sort of all colors! A white aesthetic is often clean and minimalistic, pairing well with both gentle pastels or pops of bright, bolder colors.

“White is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black.”

Gilbert K. Chesterton

White aesthetic themes and meanings

• purity (including virginity, when taken to extremes)
• innocence
• cleanliness
• spirituality
• brilliance or intellect
• literal light or illumination
• death / ghosts (especially in the East)

White aesthetic things in nature

More white aesthetic things

Example shades of white

Example accent colors for a white aesthetic

Do you have a white aesthetic?

Use of white forms a core part of many aesthetics, from creamy accents in cottagecore to the clean foundations of minimalistic hygge. If you like a lot of open white space, or often feel that white is inherently calming, purifying, or pleasingly unpretentious, it could be a good sign you like to have a white aesthetic around yourself.

Aligning with a minimalist style, a white aesthetic often pairs well with clean lines and a focus on essentials rather than clutter. Light, airy spaces with neutral or subdued color pairings as accents are common. Like versatile, simple, modest? Drawn to natural daylight, or naturally pale materials like pure linen or cotton? Do you crave that lightweight and summery feel or mood all year round, or want to embrace cosiness without darkening your surroundings? A white aesthetic is probably a good choice for your tastes.

A short history of white

The color white’s associations with light and clarity have made it an essential element in art, design, and cultural symbolism throughout the ages, although the actual meanings around the color can vary enormously depending where in the world you go.

In ancient Egypt, white was associated with purity and cleanliness, with priests wearing white linen as a symbol of their spiritual sanctity. This was similar in ancient Greece and Rome, where white clothing signified purity and was worn by priests, vestal virgins, brides, and many other figures during religious ceremonies, and of course Romans famously wore white togas (often with colored accents) as a symbol of their citizenship to the Empire. Things got a little more complex in the Middle Ages, as the color white became the symbol of purity, divinity, and the Virgin Mary (meaning white garments were common during baptism and other church stuff) but also came to represent mourning in some European countries, such as France and Spain, due to its association with purity and the afterlife, similar to the association white has with death in many Asian countries, such as China and India. The Hindu faith also sees white as a color of enlightenment and intellect; the Goddess Saraswati, the deity of learning and knowledge, is generally shown as dressed in pure white.

White has always been popular for transitions in art, although famous masters such as Leonardo da Vinci pioneered a technique called sfumato, developed during the Renaissance, to create subtle gradations and soft transitions between light and shadow which give lifelike quality to paintings. The Neoclassical architectural movement in the 18th and 19th centuries embraced white as a symbol of purity, order, and rationality, using it to evoke the ideals of ancient Greek and Roman architecture, which is still common even today.

In most most places today white has become synonymous with modernism and minimalism, commonly used as a focus color to strip away ornamentation and embrace simplicity in all types of design. Modern art movements like Bauhaus made the use of white highly popular to show clean and functional lines in everything from architecture to consumer goods like cars. Even now, the white wedding dress remains an iconic symbol of purity and new beginnings in a lot of the world, while white is often used to evoke a sense of space, light, and minimalism in art and architecture.