Have you ever wondered why all those statues you see in the museums come mostly in different shades of beige? Well, the explanation is fairly simple - because they have faded out! In an effort to showcase the true colours of archaic statues, the Acropolis Museum launched an initiative dubbed Archaic Colours, which will run for a whole year, until July 31, 2013.

The aim of the initiative is to open an extensive discussion with the public and various experts on colour, focusing on issues, such as the detection of colour via innovative technologies, its digital reconstruction, its meaning, as well as the archaic period’s aesthetic perception of color.Thanks to scientific research, it turns out that colour was not only used for decoration, but it carried significant aesthetic symbolism.

As Dimitris Pantermalis, director of the Acropolis Museum stressed, "the four basic colours of the ancients - white, black, red and ochre - were associated with the four primary elements of cosmogony: air, water, fire and earth".

The museum’s initiative utilises the results of spectroscopic analysis, as well as experimental efforts, to reproduce the antique colours and apply them to Parian marble, along with the watercolours of Swiss painter Emile Gillieron the elder.

The latter painted a lot of sculptures after they were excavated in the 19th century, depicting them in their original colours before they were altered by time and erosion.

For ancient Greeks, colour symbolised a plethora of attributes. Gods’ blond hair was a symbol of power, the brown complexion of warriors and athletes was a sign of bravery, while the white skin-colour of the korai exemplified the grace of youth.

Minerals like blue azurite or green malachite were ground and mixed with binding agents, such as egg or casein. The polychromy of the sculptures enhanced their three-dimensional impression and gave the viewer important clues on understanding a work of art.

  
The Acropolis Museum initiative, held on a regular basis in the Archaic Gallery itself during the project’s year-long duration, offers visitors the chance to participate in an online digital interactive game Colour the Peplos Kore. So, go ahead, use your brush and transform the statue of Peplos Kore to your liking.