In iconography, colors point to and support the underlying meaning of the image.
St. Joseph the Righteous, the earthly father of Jesus, a carpenter, carving wood, building furniture - (who can miss the rich connections to the wood of the cross?) - wears a yellow-orange golden outer garment and a blue inner garment.
Iconographers use the color spectrum of light (red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, violet) as a tool to bring meaning into the icon.
Yellow is the color of the Old Testament man - anthropos - who is under the law and guided by it, already “further” along the spiritual path than red Adam whose name in Hebrew means “red clay.” (red-orange-yellow) The outer robe indicates the outward mission, so a yellow garment indicates that St. Joseph has embodied the virtues of obedience of the Old Testament law. As the Psalms says, “Great peace have they which love thy law and nothing shall offend them.”
The inner garment shows the inner nature of the person - a blue garment indicates that they have great spiritual sensitivity, blue being the color of the heavens.
The red cloth which St. Joseph uses to hold two doves recalls several ideas. St. Joseph is so poor, he can only bring the smallest offering to the temple for the circumcision of his son. A red cloth in iconography reminds the viewer that something holy is happening at this moment, in the icon and in one’s own heart - a red cloth covers the tabernacle in the Old Testament, red is color of Christ’s blood on the cross.
Here the doves, the red cloth quietly remind the viewer, that only through one’s poverty and humility, just as St. Joseph did, can one come to the cross, where we encounter the bold love of the Father who through the Son, emptied himself for us, to lead us into His Kingdom. St. Joseph’s simple humility becomes the viewer’s humility.
May it be blessed.