Color Theory Light Symbol Emotion

Color Theory Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first scientists to investigate color theory. Around 1671 he discovered the origin of color when he shone a beam of light through an angular prism and split it into the spectrum - the various colors of the rainbow. This simple experiment demonstrates that color comes from light - in fact, that color is light. Scientists investigate the properties of color theory whereas artists explore its visual effects. Color in art can be used in many different ways. Some artists are fascinated by the effects of light; some are interested in the symbolic meaning of color; and some use color to express their emotions. In short, color theory in art could be summed up under three headings: Light, Symbol and Emotion.

 Color as Light Claude Monet and Impressionist Painting Rouen Cathedral in Full Sunlight, 1893 by Claude Monet In France at the end of the 19th century, a new style of painting called 'Impressionism' emerged. The Impressionist artists were interested in trying to capture the changing effects of light on the landscape by using a more exact analysis of tone and color. Their ideas were inspired by scientific research into color theory.

As the Impressionists had to work quickly to capture the fleeting effects of light, they had to sacrifice some of the traditional qualities of outline and detail. Nevertheless, the freshness of the Impressionist technique appeals to most people, and most painting since has been profoundly affected by it. Claude Monet, one of the greatest Impressionist painters, created several series of paintings exploring the effects of light. The illustration to the left is from a series of around twenty paintings of Rouen Cathedral (1892-94) which show the building at different times of day, at different times of year and under different weather conditions. 

Color as Symbol  An understanding of color theory has been around since ancient times. Colors have been recognized for their symbolic power across many cultures and in nature herself. Red through its association with fire and blood is used to represent danger, anger and violence. It is also associated with love and passion. Orange symbolizes creativity and endurance. Yellow is the color of the sun - the life support for our planet. As such it has come to represent life, energy, happiness, hope and wisdom. Green, as the color of plants and grass, is the color of nature and all that is associated with health and growth. However, it is also used to represent more negative traits such as envy and inexperience. Blue is the coolest and most calming of all the colors. As the color of the sky, it has been used since ancient times to represent heaven. As the color of the ocean, it also suggests qualities like freshness, purity and hygiene. Purple is the color of royalty, wealth and power. In times past, purple dyes were rare and expensive. Only the rich and powerful could afford to wear clothes of this luxurious color. Black and its association with darkness is used to represent death, evil, witchcraft, fear and sorrow. White and its association with light is used to represent peace, purity and goodness.

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’.  

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 colors to create a feeling of hope and cheerfulness.

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.

THE SPECTRUM The spectrum is the colors of the rainbow arranged in their natural order: Red - Orange - Yellow - Green - Blue - Indigo - Violet. The mnemonic for this is ROY G BIV.

HUES A hue is one of the colors of the spectrum HUES A hue is one of the colors of the spectrum. Hues have a circular order as illustrated in the color wheel below. The color wheel is a useful device to help us explain the relationships between Primary, Secondary and Tertiary colors.

PRIMARY COLORS Red, Yellow and Blue are the primary colors PRIMARY COLORS Red, Yellow and Blue are the primary colors. These are the three basic colors that are used to mix all hues.

SECONDARY COLORS Orange, Green and Purple are the secondary colors SECONDARY COLORS Orange, Green and Purple are the secondary colors. They are achieved by mixing two primary colors together.

TERTIARY COLORS Tertiary colors are more subtle hues which are achieved by mixing a primary and a secondary color that are adjacent on the color wheel.

OPPOSITE and COMPLEMENTARY COLORS Opposite colors are diagonally opposite one another on the color wheel. Opposite colors create the maximum contrast with one another. .

A tint describes a color that is mixed with white. COLOR TINTS A tint describes a color that is mixed with white.

A shade describes a color that is mixed with black. COLOR SHADES A shade describes a color that is mixed with black.

WARM and COOL COLORS Warm colors are said to be visually and emotionally exciting, while cool colors have a more calming effect. The red / yellow side of the color wheel is said to be warm, similar to the colors of fire. These colors appear to advance towards you and stand out more than other colors when viewed from a distance. The green / blue side of the color wheel is said to be cool, similar to the colors of ice. These colors appear to recede and fade into the distance.

Questions... What colors would YOU use to paint a picture that expresses how you feel today? Could you mix the colors you needed if you were only given the three PRIMARY colors to use? What color would you select to symbolize YOU?