1. Artwork that portrays colour

2. West façade of Rouen Cathedral Clarence Ward Archive Department of Image Collections National Gallery of Art, Library, Washington, DC
This is a photograph of the West façade of Rouen Cathedral - Take a look at the next 5 slides and tell me what you see?
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

3. Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, Effects of Sunlight, Sunset, 1892 oil on canvas © Musée Marmottan, Paris, France / Giraudon / The Bridgeman Art Library
What sort of colours are used here? What do they make you feel?
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

4. Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, Foggy Weather, 1894 oil on canvas © Private Collection / The Bridgeman Art Library
What sort of mood do these colours make you feel?
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

5. Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, evening, harmony in brown, 1894 oil on canvas © Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France / Peter Willi / The Bridgeman Art Library
What is the main paint colour used in this painting? What do you think would be a good name for the art work?
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

6. Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, Harmony in White, Morning Light, 1894 oil on canvas © Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France / Lauros / Giraudon / The Bridgeman Art Library
What colours can you see in this one? What time of day do you think it was painted?
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

7. Claude Monet Rouen Cathedral, Blue Harmony, Morning Sunlight, 1894 oil on canvas © Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France / Lauros / Giraudon / The Bridgeman Art Library
They were all by the same artist! Did you pick up that they were all the same? What are the differences?
“French artist Claude Monet liked to paint the same subject over and over again, at different times of day and in different types of weather. He painted Rouen cathedral in France some thirty times, but what fascinated him most was not the building—it was, he said, the surrounding atmosphere. Rather than quick studies of changing light effects, these pictures, slowly reworked in the studio, are carefully considered explorations of colour and mood:
Each painting uses Rouen Cathedral to record time (morning or late afternoon) and weather (sunlight or mist). Examine the way Monet used colour and texture: Can you tell from the shadows in the doorways which painting might have been done in the morning and which in the afternoon? (Don't forget that the sun rises in the east and these paintings show the west façade or front of the building.)  How do the colours change in sunlight, fog, and mist? Do you see any clear outlines? Is it possible to determine exactly where one surface ends and another begins? If line does not define the forms in this painting, what does? (Answer: color!)” (The National Gallery of Art, 2014)
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

8. Henri Matisse French, 1869–1954 Open Window, Collioure, 1905 oil on canvas, 55.3 x 46 cm (21 3/4 x 18 1/8 in.) National Gallery of Art, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. John Hay Whitney
“Around 1905 several artists, including Matisse, exhibited pictures in which heightened color was used to express a strong emotional response to nature. The painters were called "fauves," or wild beasts.  The freshness and strength of the tones in Open Window, Collioure are typical of the fauves; Matisse's contrasts are subtle, giving this work a sense of serenity and radiance. Show students this painting (second to last image in the slideshow) to answer the following questions:
Would you rather go sailing or remain in your cool room admiring the view? Matisse's seductive small painting encourages both impulses.
Look at the colours. How are they different from what you see in nature? Have you ever seen a pink sea? (Perhaps if it’s reflecting a sunset…)
How big do you think this painting is? It’s actually only 21 3/4 x 18 1/8 inches. See how Matisse transformed the effect of a small canvas into expansive pictorial space through the device of the open window and eye-popping colour.” (National Gallery of Art, 2014)
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

9. Wassily Kandinsky Russian, 1866–1944 Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle), 1913 oil on canvas, x cm (55 3/8 x 47 1/8 in.) National Gallery of Art, Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
“Wassily Kandinsky, raised in Odessa, Russia, learned to play the cello and piano as a child. As an artist, he drew connections between art and music and believed that colours and shapes could affect our mood. Show students Improvisation 31 (Sea Battle) (last image in the slideshow) without revealing the name of the title:
What do the colours in this painting make you feel? happy? sad? scared?
What do you think is happening in this painting?
After students have hypothesized what the scene depicts, let them know the title contains the phrase “sea battle.” Now have them analyze the painting: Can you find two tall-masted ships locked in combat? Can they spot any canon fire? What is the sea like that day? The weather?” (National Gallery of Art, 2014)
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

10. Colour
“Colour is what we see because of reflected light. Light contains different wavelengths of energy that our eyes and brain "see" as different colours. When light hits an object, we see the coloured light that reflects off the object.”
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

11. Colour (cont)
When analysing colours there are primary colours and secondary colours. Primary colours are red, blue, and yellow. The pigments from these three colours can be used to make other colours called secondary colours – purple, orange and green.
Red + Blue = Purple Red + Yellow = Orange Blue + Yellow = Green”
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)
(Dowd, 2014)

12. Colour (cont)
Take a look at this simple video to understand the mixing of colour.
(roomofplasticflowers, 2011)
When we are looking at the colour wheel, the colours across from each other are called complementary colours - (red-green, blue-orange, and yellow-purple). The use of both these colours together make the colours in the artwork seem brighter and more intense. When looking at the picture the colours seem to vibrate and pop out at you.
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)

13. We can also define the colours by whether they are warm or cool.
“Warm colours—reds, yellows, oranges, and red-violets—are those of fire and the sun. They appear to project. Cool colours—blues, blue-greens, and blue-violets—are those of ice and the ocean. They appear to recede. ” When using cool we can add black or white to shade or tint colour to make it darker or lighter.
(National Gallery of Art, 2014)
Take a look at the video to see the use of warm and cool colours.
(centralfan94,2011)
Colour (cont)
(Stoikovich & Zanetich, 2008, p. 2)

14. References
Centralfan94. (2011, August 10). Art attack clip 6 - warm and cold colours [Video file]. Retrieved from National gallery of art. (2014). The elements of art: color. Retrieved from the website
Roomofplasticflowers. (2011, April 23). The colour wheel [Video file]. Retrieved from
Stoikovich, V., & Zanetich, M. (2008). A step by step guide to visual arts for teachers. Canberra, Australia: Agency Printing (Aust) Pty Ltd.