Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c19.10

c19.10

Shades of colour.—Red, black, and blue are mixed with white to form pink (*imbul sivi*), grey (*sudu kalu* or *nīl sivi*) and pale blue (*nīl sivi*). The grey is generally used to represent blue or green or brown in nature and in representations of Vishnu, the ‘Blue God.’ A little yellow added to the grey gives it the usual greenish tinge. The use of shades of colour is very limited, and never such as to produce relief or interfere with the flatness of the decoration.