Brown is a ubiquitous color in nature, often described as a darker, desaturated shade of orange, prevalent in wood, soil, and human pigmentation. While commonly formed by mixing primary colors in various models (like yellow, magenta, and black in CMYK), it's frequently cited as the public's least favorite color, despite positive associations with warmth and the autumn. Its name, derived from Old English "brún" around 1000 AD, often links globally to foods and beverages such as coffee, chestnut, or chocolate.
Historically, brown pigments like umber have been used in art since prehistoric times, evident in 40,000 BC cave paintings and ancient Egyptian art, with sepia ink (from cuttlefish) later employed by Renaissance masters like Leonardo da Vinci. From Ancient Rome, where brown clothing marked lower classes, to the Middle Ages when Franciscan monks adopted it as a symbol of humility and poverty, brown has long carried significant social and artistic connotations.