• A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.

Michelangelo

• A painting that is well composed is half finished.

Pierre Bonnard

• A picture is a poem without words.

Horace

• A picture is worth a thousand words.

Napoleon Bonaparte

• A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. Oscar Wilde

• A writer should write with his eyes and a painter paint with his ears.

Gertrude Stein

• A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession.

Albert Camus

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Lesson 1:

The Properties of Color

Color is magic and has great expressive

qualities; so it is important to understand

what it is and how you see it.

Color is light reflected from a surface. It can

create emphasis, harmony, emotions, unity,

and dimension.

Color has three properties, which work

together to make the colors we see.

Hue – Value - Intensity

Color

COLOR

Every color is the product of a combination of

reflected light waves - white reflects all light

waves and is, therefore, a combination of all

colors. By bending a white light wave

through a prism, we can see the color spectrum

red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.

OBJECTIVES:

1. Hue, Value, and Intensity

2. Color Schemes

3. Understanding the Nature and

Uses of Color.

Wassily Kandinsky

(1866- 1944)

Russian artist

He was a founder of “The Blue

Rider” movement. The group

followed the art style known as

Expressionism. Its goal was to

express raw emotion, mainly

through composition.

Kandinsky, an innovator,

created abstract compositions

at a time when most artists

were producing lifelike

subjects. He also stood out by

using bold, brash colors as a

unifying element.

TENSION IN RED, 1926

Discussions:

1. Notice the variety of colors used in this painting.

• Where in your environment do you find colors like

these?

• Are these calming colors? If not, how would you

describe them?

2. Study the bright colors and sharp, angular lines of

Kandinsky painting. Read the title.

• Do you think the title captured the mood of this work?

• Do you experience tension and unrest in this work, or

do you find it peaceful and calm?

Reflect # 1: IDENTIFYING BASIC CONFLICT

Observe that, like any good story or novel, the painting “tension in red” -

despite its abstract nature – is filled with conflict. The clusters of sharp

triangles are set on the diagonal. Also observe the setting of the story: the

skewed bright red pentagon that serves as backdrop to the action.

- Use your imagination to describe the warring parties or

factions involved. What feeling or mood do diagonal lines

suggest? How many factions are involved in this

conflict? Translate the story of this painting into words.

Name the various parties involved and tell what the

conflict is over.

(1) Hue

Hue is the name of a color in the color spectrum. Red,

yellow, and blue are the primary hues in pigments.

Mixtures of these make the secondary hues: orange,

violet, and green.

And six intermediate hues are mixtures of primary and

secondary colors. Mixing a hue with its complement

dulls the hue, or lowers its intensity.

In color mixing for

painting, the fundamental

rule is that there are three

colors that cannot be

made by mixing other

colors together.

These three,

red, yellow, blue

are known as the

primary colors.

Primary colors

Secondary colors If you mix each of the primary colors in equal proportions you get the three secondary colors. These three secondary colors are orange, green and violet.

blue + red = purple

red + yellow = orange

yellow + blue = green

These six colors together make up what we traditionally think of as the rainbow, though in reality the rainbow in nature does not have distinct lines between the colors so all colors are present.

Tertiary colors

• Taking yet another step, we arrive at what is commonly called the tertiary colors.

• Once again, you combine neighbors in equal parts to arrive at the 6 tertiary colors of red-orange, orange-yellow, yellow-green, green-blue, blue-violet, and violet-red.

(2) Value

Value is the element of art that

describes the darkness or lightness

of a color. You can add black or

white to hues to change their values.

(3) Intensity

Intensity is the brightness or dullness of

a hue.

• A light value of a hue is called a tint.

• A dark value of a hue is called a shade.

To lower the intensity of a hue, you can

mix it with its complement.

Compare Kandinsky’s painting with that of Matisse. Using what you

already learn about color value and intensity, explain the relationship to

the color scheme chosen. Also compare and contrast the variety of lines

and shapes in these works. You may use dictionary to add words to your

line descriptions.

For extra points you may create a poem about one of the artworks.

HENRI MATISSE 1869- 1954

French artist who experimented with

different styles throughout his long

career. Around the turn of the 20th c.,

Matisse and a group of young French

artists were shown together in a

famous art exhibit. Their use of

intense colors, bold designs, and

energetic brushwork inspired a critic

to name them the Fauves, or “Wild

Beasts”. Western art moved from

the realistic depiction of subject

matter to artworks composed entirely

of color and lines without any

recognizable subject matter.

Matisse’s emphasis on flat planes of

color and dynamic lines reflects the

art trends and themes of the time.

INTERIOR WITH EGYPTAN CURTAIN,1948

Reviewing: The Expressive Qualities of Line

Line is an important element in the language of art because of

its expressive capabilities. For example:

• Vertical lines are static and appear to be at rest,

expressing stability.

• Horizontal lines are also static, expressing feelings of

peace, rest, and quiet.

• Since curved lines change direction, they express activity.

• Diagonal lines express instability, tension,& excitement

• While zigzag lines create confusion.

Lesson 2

Color Schemes

To avoid putting colors together in a confusing or

unpleasant way, an artist uses colors according

to a plan, called a color scheme.

The primary triad is composed of red, yellow, and

blue.

The secondary triad contains orange, green, and

violet.

To make this combination more comfortable to

look at, however, an artist may need to change

the intensity or value of the hues.

For a monochromatic color scheme, an artist uses

only one hue and the tints and shades of that hue.

This type of scheme unifies a design, but it can be

boring.

Artists can employ analogous colors, colors that

sit side by side on the color wheel and have a

common hue. Using this scheme, they can tie one

shape to the next through a common color.

By using complementary colors, artists create lively

designs. They can also use a color triad, composed of three

colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel.

A color scheme that offers more variety is the

split - complement. The split complement uses the

combination of one hue plus the hues on each

side of its complement

Finally, artists may choose to use warm or

cool colors, which are associated with

certain moods.

Lesson 3:

• The type of pigment, binder, and solvent that are

used in paint affect the color you see.

• Pigments are finely ground, colored powders

that form paint when mixed with a binder.

• The binder is a material that holds together the

grains of pigment.

• The solvent is the liquid that controls the

thickness or thinness of the paint.

• In the past, pigments came from animals,

vegetables, and minerals. Now, brighter,

synthetic pigments are available.

• Artists use color to express thoughts,

ideas, and emotions. They can represent

optical color, the color that results when

a true color is affected by unusual

lighting or its surroundings.

• The Impressionists used optical color to

express the sensation of light and

atmosphere. Other artists use arbitrary

color, based on personal preference.

They use color to express meaning and

affect moods

• Color can also be used to create illusions of

depth and a sense of movement.

• Warm colors seem comforting, and cool

colors seem mysterious.

• And when the values in a work change

quickly, a feeling of excitement and

movement is created.

• Sometimes, to unify a work, an artist lets

one color, such as blue, dominate. This is

called tonality.