1. + Color Theory A practical guide to the use of color in creating works of art

2. + Vocabulary Spectrum Pigment Neutral Hue Primary Colors Complimentary Colors Tint Shade Intensity Tone Color Harmony Impressionism Color Wheel Secondary Colors Tertiary or Intermediate Colors Analogous Colors Monochrome Polychrome Transparency/Transparent Opaque Aerial Perspective From the ReadingNew or Notable

3. + What is color theory? Sir Isaac Newton was one of the first scientists to investigate color theory. Around 1671-72 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. IMPRESSIONISM: an art movement characterized by short, broken brushstrokes that convey forms, pure unblended colors, and an emphasis on the effects of light. The artists' loose brushwork gives an effect of spontaneity and effortlessness that masks their often carefully constructed compositions. Claude Monet Impression, Sunrise (1872)

4. + Working with Color The Color Wheel Primary Colors Red Blue Yellow Secondary Colors Violet Green Orange Tertiary/Intermediate Colors Red-Violet, Blue-Violet Blue-Green, Yellow-Green Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange Complimentary Colors Mixing the complimentary color will neutralize or darken a hue Red  Green Blue  Orange Yellow  Violet  Cool colors are made mostly of green, blue and violet (purple).  This family of colors is called cool because they remind you of cool things like a cool forest or a cold lake.  Warm colors are made mostly of red, orange and yellow.  This family of colors is called warm because they remind you of warm things like the sun or fire. Warm colors can even make you feel warmer because they can slightly increase your circulation and body temperature!

5. + Comparison Warm Colors Cool Colors A knowledge of how warm and cool colors work is useful when arranging colors in a landscape to create the illusion of distance. This illusion is called Aerial Perspective. Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Northern Railway (1844) J. M. W. Turner

6. + Neutrals The principles of color mixing let us describe a variety of colors, but there are still many colors to explore. The neutral colors contain equal parts of each of the three primary colors. Black, white, gray and sometimes brown are considered "neutral.”

7. + Tints and Shades Tints Light values of a color made by mixing a color with different amounts of white. Shades Dark values of a color made by mixing a color with different amounts of black.

8. + Colors as Symbols Red through its association with fire and blood is used to represent danger, anger and violence. For the same reason it is also associated with affairs of the heart: love and passion. In Paul Gauguin's Vision after the Sermon, Jacob wrestles with the angel in a blood red field of spiritual battle, an apt metaphor for his internal struggle against the will of God. Paul Gauguin Vision After The Sermon (1888) oil on canvas Orange symbolizes creativity, change, energy and endurance. It is the color that represents Autumn. As a secondary color it combines elements of the colors used to mix it: the creative passion of red with the energy and joy of yellow. Mark Rothko, the American abstract expressionist artist, encouraged viewers to stand close to his large paintings so that they became spiritually immersed in the experience of color. 'Orange and Yellow' is the door to an inferno of color with a radiant energy that invites the spectator to open their emotions to "a spiritual kinship with primitive and archaic art". Mark Rothko Orange and Yellow (1956) oil on canvas 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. Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers is painted almost entirely with yellow and without any shadows. It expresses the radiance of sunshine rather than giving us a detailed description of what the flowers look like. Van Gogh also uses yellow as the symbol of hope and friendship as the 'Sunflower' series was painted to welcome his friend Paul Gauguin to the Yellow House in Arles. Vincent Van Gogh Sunflowers (1988) Oil on canvas 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. Paul Cézanne’s painting of The Bridge at Maincy is a formal composition of horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines whose rigor is somewhat relieved by the curves of the bridge. What turns this steadfast structure into a woodland sanctuary is the myriad of greens which bathe the scene in a magical emerald light. Paul Cézanne The Bridge at Maincy (1879) Oil on canvas 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. In classical mythology, blue was the color associated with the gods, Venus and Jupiter. In Christianity, it becomes the symbol of the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven. As the color of the ocean, it is also suggests qualities like freshness, purity and hygiene. The calmness of blue is seldom more visible than in this 'nocturne' of the lagoon in Venice by James McNeill Whistler. The view at twilight is strongly influence by the Japanese art of 'ukiyo-e' which translates as 'pictures of the floating world.’ James McNeill Whistler Nocturne in Blue and Silver (1880) Oil on canvas 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. Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, supported the development of the arts, literature and education in Russia. Her personal art collection became the foundation of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. She is portrayed here wearing a gown of the finest purple silk draped with ermine robes, clothes worthy of her noble status. Fyodor Rokotov Catherine the Great (1780)

9. + References http://www.artyfactory.com/color_theory/color_theory_1.htm http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm http://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-cezanne/the-bridge-at-maincy- 1879 http://www.wikiart.org/en/paul-cezanne/the-bridge-at-maincy- 1879 http://www.britannica.com/art/aerial-perspective