Hygienic Zen Verdigris

Greek hygieinós, healthful — derived from Hygieia (goddess of health). As a color modifier, hygienic implies a clear-and-medical-clean quality, the crisp color of Mid-Century-Modern clinical-and-hospital interior-architecture surfaces. Sits at the crisp-and-clean end of the grid, parallel to sanitary and sterile in usage.

Japanese 禅, Zen Buddhism. As a color modifier, zen implies a stripped-down-and-meditative-Mahayana quality, the visual register of Japanese-Sōtō-and-Rinzai-Zen Zen-Buddhist hand-laid rock-garden-and-tatami-and-shōji-screen meditation-hall surfaces under Sōtō-and-Rinzai-Zen Kyoto-temple-garden meditative quiet light. Sits at the modifier-and-cultural end of the grid, parallel to tao and sufi in usage.

The basic copper carbonate that forms on weathered copper and bronze — the pigment scraped from oxidized metal and used in Renaissance painting before being supplanted by more stable greens. The color refers to a thick verdigris on aged copper roofing or the Statue of Liberty's surface: a soft, slightly muted blue-green with the powdery finish of mineral oxide. Cooler than patina, warmer than seafoam, with the archaeological weight of a mineral made by time.