Colour Symbolism What do you know about the symbolism of colours?

Remember your colour symbolism chart?

The Blind Man's Meal 1903 by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881–1973) Oil on canvas This striking painting is one of Picasso’s most moving from his Blue Period, but why? How do the colours used in his palette affect how you feel about this work?

The First Communion 1896 by Eugène Carrière (French, 1849–1906) oil on canvas The title of Carrière’s painting suggests the occasion, but how does the predominant use of white help with the story’s narrative?

The Dessert: Harmony in Red (The Red Room) 1908 by Henri Matisse in oil paint The painting was ordered as "Harmony in Blue," but Matisse was dissatisfied with the result, and so he painted it over with his preferred red. Why did he choose red? Why was it his preference, do you think? What does the open green-filled window do to help the harmony?

Tropical Forest with Monkeys 1910 by Henri Rousseau Although he painted many exotic scenes, Rousseau never left France. He often explored the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden and zoo in Paris where he studied and drew plants and wild animals. How does his use of green help the feeling of a jungle teeming with animals?

Yellow Cow (Gelbe Kuh) 1910 by Franz Marc, oil on canvas For Marc, different hues evoked gender stereotypes: yellow, a “_______, _______ and ________” color, symbolized femininity for him. What are those qualities that you think Marc was thinking of when he choose to paint Yellow Cow?

Colour is… => personal => psychologically driven => subconsciously understood => culturally diverse

Now on to further colour exploration… See Task 2!