Color Theory - color as emotion

COLOR THEORY

Color Lessons in Art and Design

Color as Emotion

A knowledge of color theory helps us to express our feelings in an artwork. The language of color has even entered our vocabulary to help us describe our emotions. You can be ‘red’ with rage or ‘green’ with envy. We often speak of bright cheerful colors as well as sad or dull ones. A ‘grey’ day may be depressing and result in a feeling of the ‘blues’.

Hope and Joy

Vincent Van Gogh - Sunflowers 1888

Sunflowers (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh

The paintings of Vincent Van Gogh show an instinctive understanding of color theory. In his 'Sunflowers' still life, he uses warm yellows to create an energetic image that radiates feelings of hope and joy.

Sadness and Despair

Pablo Picasso - The Tragedy 1903

The Tragedy (1903) by Pablo Picasso

On the other hand a more conscious use of color theory is found in the paintings of Pablo Picasso's 'blue period'. He chooses cool colors to evoke the chill of sadness and despair in 'The Tragedy', a typical subject from his work at this time.

Noise and Activity

Andre Derain - The Pool of London 1906

The Pool of London (1906) by André Derain

André Derain uses the clash between warm and cool colors to express the noise and activity of this busy dockyard. He creates the illusion of depth in the painting by using warmer colors in the foreground which gradually become cooler towards the background. This organised arrangement of colors in a landscape is called Aerial Perspective.

Derain was one of a group of artists who were nicknamed 'Les Fauves' (the wild beasts). This title was coined by a critic who was outraged by the bold colors in their art. The artistic establishment of the day were offended as they respected control and restraint in the use of color. However, the 'Fauves' believed that color had a direct link to your emotions and they loved to use it at the highest pitch possible. The function of color in their painting was not to describe their subject matter, but to express the artist's feelings about it. Their ideas liberated the use of color for future generations of artists and ultimately gave them the freedom to explore color as a subject in its own right.

A Radiant Energy

Rainbox (2005) by John MacTaggart

This work celebrates the radiant energy of color as the subject matter of the picture. The artist uses a mixture of transparent colors ranging across the spectrum to create an abstract image of refracted color.


Color as Light		Color as Symbol		Color as Emotion		Color Terms 1		Color Terms 2

Color Quiz