Color Theory

 Color is established through the refraction of light rays, and through the development of color theory may be classified as either primary, secondary, or tertiary. Each color that we perceive contains the three basic properties of hue, value, and intensity, and the harmonization of a color, or various colors, used by the artist may invoke an optical, emotional, or even physical response from the viewer. The emotional response from color varies greatly, and may depend on our individual experiences, cultural associations, and also the way colors are presented by the artist. Franz Marc, a German expressionist painter and one of the founders of The Blue Riders, used the color blue in his work as a symbol of spirituality. Perhaps one of his most famous works, The Fate of the Animals, depicts this sense of spirituality through the blue deer looking towards the heavens in the center of the painting; the deer seeming to provide a sense of calm amidst the surrounding chaos. However, the effects of the color blue, or any color for that matter, depends greatly on the way it is given to us by the artist; its hue, value, and intensity, along with the other visual elements of the painting, serve to illicit a different response from the viewer. For example, a brighter, pure representation of the color red may have a more pleasant reaction than a deeper, crimson red which may be associated with blood, anger, or death. In our culture, color is often used to describe emotion or behavior, as we can either be "red with anger", "feeling blue",  "green with envy", or a cowardly "yellow-belly". Perhaps Picasso summed it up when he said," Colors, like features, follow the changes of the emotions." 

The theoretical aspect of color that I find most interesting is the optical effects of color and the way our brain processes the information presented to us. Before I painted my living room, I remembered either reading or seeing something about a way to make the room look larger by painting the opposite walls a different and darker color. This is similar to the idea of a red chair placed in the middle of a room and appearing larger in scale and closer to us. This illusion of intense, warmer colors seeming to advance closer to us, and the lighter, cooler colors receding plays an interesting role in art, as well as our daily lives.

The video Color provided a useful background as to the evolution and use of color, particularly in the way impressionist artists were able to begin their "plein-air" painting with the invention of the metal tube to store the paints. As for the emotional aspect of color, I think the artist in the video shows how difficult it can be to relay a specific emotion through color. While we may process the final work and have an immediate response or feeling to it, the artist spent a great deal of time trying to use different elements and combinations of color to illicit that response. Perhaps this is what Monet meant when he said " Color is my day-long obsession, joy, and torment."

Franz Marc The Fate of the Animals , 1913 oil on canvas