Understanding Color

Most people do not see color as simply the way something looks, however. They tend to associate certain colors with specific feelings, emotions and memories. (Dmitrieva) For instance, blue is most commonly associated with “feeling blue” meaning one feels upset or depressed, however, blue is

In the Cennini and Alberti modeling system have all of the three properties of color, which are the following; Hue, Value and Saturation. Through out the process of the art History class 385 we have been learning about how the modeling system worked. In this paper I will be breaking down both the Cennini and Alberti modeling system separately and then comparing how they are both similar. Using the texts from Marcia Hall called Color and Meaning: Practice and Theory in Renaissance and Martin Kemp’s reading called Part III: The Color of Light.

As we all know, color is the voice for the artist 's sentiment. It makes up the appearance of a picture. Color is the decisive factor in depths of the two-dimensional plane of the artwork, making the viewer feel physically and mentally attracted, or the context of things - the phenomenon the author wants to present. Colors have been around for a long time, but there is not a common definition for colors. And perhaps humans are one of the luckiest creatures that can identify colors. Often, the recipient 's eye knows a myriad of colors and colors that always change based on the relationship between light and perspective. In art, color creates a sense of

Color fills our world with beauty. We delight in the colors of a magnificent sunset and in the bright red and golden-yellow leaves of autumn. We are charmed by gorgeous flowering plants and the brilliantly colored arch of a rainbow. We also use color in various ways to add pleasure and interest to our lives. For example, many people choose the colors of their clothes carefully and decorate their homes with colors that create beautiful, restful, or exciting effects. By their selection and arrangement of colors, artists try to make their paintings more realistic or expressive.

The composition I chose was Dorothea Tanning’s painting Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. This painting depicts two girls alone in the hallway of a rundown hotel, playing with the larger than life sunflower which lays in the middle of the hallway, reaching which the stairwell. What intrigued me first about this painting was its use of color. The color scheme that Tanning employs is complimentary. As we know, a complementary color scheme means that two colors that are directly across from each other on the color wheel are primarily used. In this case, the complementary colors represented in the painting are red and green. Tanning shows a rich, blood-red color in the carpeting as well as on the shirt of the girl leaning against the frame of on of the doors. Those deep reds complement the ivy green color of the hallway walls, the leaves on the large sunflower, and the vines from the flower as well. Another aspect of color in the painting that pulled me in was the balance of color temperature that is featured. There are many warm colors featured in this painting which makes the slight pop of cool colors stand out against each other. Of course, the warm colors Tanning uses in this painting are the deep reds in the carpeting and shirt, the dark brown of the doors, and the wooden stair flooring that run down the hall, as well as the eerie yellows featured in the sunflower and mysterious lighting leaking out into the hall from a slightly cracked door. Meanwhile, the warm colors are met with the cool whites in the young girls’ dresses and skirts. Plus, the frigid greens popping out from the walls along with the enormous vines and leaves. The greens stand out against the sunny yellows in the flower and three petals that have fallen from the sunflower, coupled with the deep warm reds that line the floor.

Technicolor. Such vivid colors weren’t just for artistic appeal, they often represented other aspects such

Additionally, while analyzing the portrait of Lady Frances Knowles the importance of color is also used however it is to express different meanings. It is easy to see that the artist of this piece finds color very important due to the vast color pallet he uses in order to contrast the colors

Blue is not just a colour, rather, the colour blue is a way of life. In her essay ‘Bluets’ Maggie Nelson digs with her emotions to capture the colour blue through different perspectives of her experiences. Nelson writes 240 fragments of a collection of images to analyze and reflect on the physical colour of blue, and the feeling she encounters when she writes about her search for inspiration. She does a great job giving readers an insight in her journey finding research with colour blue and its impact her experiences. Thus, Nelson finds a relationship with the colour blue using specific details from her observation. She explores her ideas analyzing the way blue is a physical colour in objects and the way blue describes her feelings. Furthermore,

From a historical perspective it was intriguing to discover how dyes affected the hierarchy in the ancient world. The repeated use of dyes represented a transition in humanity from simple hunting and gathering societies; to well developed structured governments and economies where people focused less on survival and more on status. Colors in ancient times represented political, military, and social status. Without the discovery of dyes kings would be clothed just like the normal people giving them a less godly appearance and less power. Even today certain connotations exist with colors like black for evil white for good, etc... The authors include this essay to demonstrate man’s first foray into chemistry by mixing and blending dyes to create more extravagant colors to sell. The lust for colorful clothes drove vendors to create more eccentric dyes, thereby forcing them to utilize experimental chemistry to create new shades and hues. The book here focuses too much on the historical aspects. I can see the relationship but it is weak and describing the chemical make up of colors doesn’t explain why it relates to history.

He was brimming with excitement as he dusted off a blank canvas and set it on a stand. He turned the lights up to their brightest. Carl worked with precision late into the night, listening to music and the rain pattering outside the whole time. He painted a park at sundown. The trees, lamps, and the ground were all standard colors easily perceived by the human eye, but the sky was bursting with multicolored cubes; a fantastical glimpse of Carl’s unique perspective. When he was finished he took a few steps back, scanned his work like any good artist, and finally nodded, pleased with his outrageously colored

Color is an aspect of life that is all around us. It is in everything we encounter in our lives from the chipping paint of our favorite mug to the bright sparkle in a loved one’s eye. When it comes to color in a specific and moderated setting, the question seems to be lingering on the tips of tongues: What is the importance of color in the world of film? To fully respond to that question, one might find it useful to ask how important is color in our every day lives? On the surface, it may appear to a person that color is just one of those inconsequential aspects of life, something to be brushed aside with only a passing thought. However, if one truly considers the concept of color, there is so much more to be offered than what is on the surface. How many

Colour schemes are used to unify artworks and it consists of three common schemes: warm, cool, and neutral. The warm colour scheme is vivid and energetic and tends to advance in space. It consists of red, orange and yellow. Cool colours give an impression of calm, and create a soothing impression. Blue, green and violet are a part of this colour scheme. Neutral colours give a feeling of calm and quiet atmospheres and it consist of grays, blacks and whites. The monochromatic colour scheme is based on several values of one hue. The analogous colour scheme is made up of hues that are next to each other on the colour wheel. Complementary colours are

One of the most important observations anyone could make while viewing a painting is the artist’s delicate choice and use of colors. In paintings, colors serve two different but equally important purposes. One purpose is to draw attention to the painting, while the other purpose is to display emotions. An artist that understood the importance of color in paintings extremely well was the late talented Vincent Van Gogh. In his painting Café Terrace at Night, Van Gogh incorporates a vast array of colors to arouse emotions from within the audience. In order to assess which colors aroused which emotions two important questions must be answered. What emotions do the specific colors used within the painting give off to the audience? How have the emotions behind the colors been learned through normal human experience over time?

The biological processes of colour perception which happen in the brain are innate and contribute towards the way in which individuals view colour. Cones and rods work together in order to create the colour that is perceived. The psychological processes are related to the way each individual person perceives colour, and thus may be different to the next. Colour perception is different for everyone, something that is light blue to one person, may be light green to another person. Both the biological and psychological processes work together. A range of processes will be discussed throughout this essay and will demonstrate differences in the

Scholars and film critiques have often regarded the fifth-generation film Director, Zhang Yi Mou’s films as a visually sensual feast (Zhu 26). The predominant use of the color Red in his highly stylized films: Red Sorghum (1988), Ju Dou and Raise the Red Lantern (1991) are evidence of his trademark visual style thus leading scholars to critically analyze the symbolic representation of the color. I would argue however, in addition to the prevalent use of red in his art-house films, there are several supporting colors (black, white, grey, blue), intertwining with the color red. Zhang seems