Color Theorythe study of a powerful element of art

WHAT IS COLOR?What we see as color is the way light waves in the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum are absorbed or reflected by everything around us.

White light = all of the colors mixed together.

Rainbows = white light that is broken apart by moisture in the air.

How is color important in nature?Helps ensure survival:

camouflage helps animals hide from predators

Can you find the animals in these images?

How is color important in nature?Helps ensure survival:

tells predators, “If you eat me, you will be sorry.”Left: poisonous frog from Madagascar.

Below: toxic nudibranch (tiny sea slug)

Color helps us understand the world around us, such as…

How is color important in our daily lives?

…the interior quality of objects, andwhether food is good to

eat.

Color helps us understand…

properties of surfaces.

Much better to know that this is hot without having to touch it to find out!

Color helps us understand… information… from charts and graphs to when to stop our cars.

PIGMENTS (colored powders) imitate the colors of light.

Theyprovide the color in ink, paints, markers, etc.

How do we create color?

Ground colored material, from natural substances like clay to engineered chemical

compounds.

What are pigments made of?

Early paint (10 – 17,000 years ago) = ground earth/clay + spit or fat.

Modern paint = sophisticated chemical engineering.

Expressive = affects our emotions directly and immediately, so creates moods in

artwork.Color also catches our eye – creates focal points and guides our eyes around artwork.

Color is the most EXPRESSIVE element of art

How do the moods created by the artists’ use of color differ in these two paintings?

Below: Damien Hirst. Beautiful Inside My Head Forever.Right: Picasso. Woman with Crossed Arms.

Now, let’s learn some more art-specific words…

Roni Horn. Steven's Bouquet, 1991.

Technical Vocabulary: HUE

HUE: the technical term for the word “color.”

Red, green, and purple are all HUES.

Technical Vocabulary: VALUE

VALUE: the lightness or darkness of a hue.

TINTS = any hue + white

SHADES = any hue + black

TONES = any hue + gray

TINTS =a hue’s light values

hue + white

SHADES =a hue’s dark values

Mixing in a color’s complement instead of black is another way of creating a shade (e.g. red + a little green = darker red)

hue + black

The Color Wheel

The foundation of all other colors.

RedYellowBlue

Primary Colors(first layer of the color wheel)

Two primary colors mixed together

Red + Yellow = Orange

Yellow + Blue = Green

Blue + Red = Purple

Secondary Colors(second layer of the color wheel)

Tertiary Colors(third layer of the color wheel)

One primary color +

the secondary color next to it

The tertiary colors are:

Created by mixing:- a complementary pair- all three primaries

Neutral Colors: Colors not on the color wheel.

Leonardo da Vinci. Perspective study for The Adoration of the Magi (unfinished),1481. Oil on canvas.

• Browns• Grays• Black• White

Now that we know about color in general, we’ll learn how to arrange it in our artwork to create the

most visually engaging pieces possible

Sol LeWittWall Drawing #1136, 2004Tate Liverpool, 24 yardsAcrylic on wall

Color Schemes:Planned combinations of colors that create harmonious visual experiences

Primary Color Scheme:primary colors - red, yellow, blue

Jasper JohnsTarget,1958

Oil and collage on canvas

Roy Lichtenstein, who used comic strips as his inspiration, consistently used a primary color scheme in his work.

Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)In the Car, 1963

Secondary Color Scheme:only, or predominantly, secondary colors

orange, green, purple

Henri MatisseThe Open Window, Collioure, 1905Oil on canvas

Neutral Color Scheme:only, or predominantly, neutral colors

Margaret Kilgallen, Untitled (mural in LACMA garage), circa 2005

Giorgio Morandi. Natura morta (Still Life), 1952. Oil on canvas, 16x18 inches

Warm colors make objects come forward toward the viewer.

Warm Color Scheme:only, or predominantly, warm colors

orange, yellow, red

Wayne Thiebaud Gumball Machine, 1971Oil on canvas

Warm colors symbolize/evoke in the viewer: excitement, passion, liveliness, anger...

Above left: Sidewalk drawing by Kurt Wenner.

Below left: Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851)The Scarlet Sunset, circa 1830-1840Oil on canvas

Cool Color Scheme:only, or predominantly, cool colors

green, blue, and purple

Cool colors recedeaway from the viewer.Paul CézanneMount Sainte-Victoire view from Lauves, 1904-06Oil on canvas

Cool colors symbolize/evoke in the viewer: serenity, sadness...

Right: Pablo Picasso, The Tragedy, 1903

Oil on wood, 41 x 27 inches

Below: sidewalk drawing by Kurt Wenner

Mono - oneChroma - color

Monochromatic Color Scheme:shades, tones, and tints of any one color

Gerhard RichterRoter Kopf Red Head, 1965Oil on canvas, 26x24 cm

Edward HopperChair Car, 1965Oil on canvas40x50 inches

Monochromatic color schemes create strong unity.

Complementary Color Scheme:only, or predominantly, a complementary color

pair

Orange/Blue

Yellow/Purple

Red/Green

Complementary colors = two colors opposite each other on the color wheel

They are:

What complementary color pair is featured in this Warhol Print?

Andy WarholElvis I and II, 1964silkscreen on acrylic on aluminum208.3 x 208.3 cm

Camille PissarroLe Boulevard Montmartre, effet de nuit (The Boulevard Montmartre at Night), 1897Oil on canvas

Complementary color schemes have the most color contrast of any simple, two-color, color scheme.

• 3 primary colors (aka primary color scheme)

• 3 secondary colors (aka secondary color scheme)

Triadic Color Scheme:three colors evenly spaced on the color

wheel

• 3 evenly spaced tertiary colors, e.g. yellow-orange + green-blue + red-violet

TYPES

André DerainMountains at Collioure1905.Oil on canvas32x29 inches.

Which type of triadic color scheme is this painting?

This abstract use of color is characteristic of Fauvism (French for “wild beasts”), an art movement from the early 1900s that emphasized strong, emotional color over realism.

One color dominates; related colors enhance.

Analogous Color Scheme:colors that are adjacent on the color wheel

Paul GauguinWasherwomen, 1888Oil on canvas, 29x36 inches