chronology

the story - red door

psychograph

Sunday, February 20, 2011

01.Few months ago friends of mine finished renovating their house in midtown Toronto. I was consulted about the colour of the entrance door. Red - I replied - without really thinking too much. [Psychograph 01 ]. This Sunday I went to visit them, actually help them with something, and that triggered this chain of memories.

02. What's with the "red doors" that attracts so many people including me. Various sources are saying that they have their role in the history.

03.Feng shui belief is that a red door facing east will invite prosperity and would create welcoming energy. Also in China, it's tradition to paint the front door red before the new year, to invite good luck and happiness.

In Ireland tradition front doors are painted red to ward-off ghosts and evil spirits. Sometimes entrances to the Catholic and Anglican churches are painted red to signify that the ground beyond is designated sanctuary. Some other mainline Protestant churches, such as Lutheran churches, had red doors, and by tradition, this marks such churches as Reformed churches. Red doors are favourites of Christians because in the early days of the church, doors of homes were smeared with the blood of a lamb as a sign that the required sacrifice had already been made.

Some say that a red door meant that one's mortgage was paid off and the house was yours free and clear. Supposedly red doors were also used as part of the Underground Railroad, and homes with red doors were "safe houses". Albert Einstein painted his door red because he couldn't recognize his house without it. Overall most of the people will tell you that red is a welcoming color, meant to show your hospitality to guests coming through.

04.I talked to several people about meaning of a red entrance doors, even those that have their door painted red and they didn't know why they liked it. What they only know is that somehow it is good, good for them, good for the visitors in one word it is "good omen".

05.But red door have quite different meaning for me. I was born in a small house in Beograd, former Yugoslavia, and among very few memories from my early years is red entrance door to the house where I was born. Photo right [Psychograph 02 ] is actually recreated image from the memory to the best of my ability. It is very tought - provoking how fine details started coming back while I was working on it. Colour and shape of the door [but interestingly no colour of the house itself?], size, shape of the lock, number of the windows, street plate, house number…

06.Of course this is terrific opportunity to tell you more about this house where I was born. So here it is: Story of the Red Door House. Story is very interesting I promise!

a.j. [psychographs@urbansquares.com]

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