An exploration of Colour, composition, unity & harmony, balance, size &
proportion, rhythm, contrast, perspective, light.
Colour
Where to begin with such a vast subject? What is colour
might be a good place to start.
Colour occurs when an object reflects light back to our eyes
at certain wave lengths, so lighting has a direct bearing on how we perceive a
colour. If for example we painted a landscape scene in which we wanted to give
the appearance of a cloudy, over cast day we would use less saturated colours
than if we wanted to portray the same scene as being a bright sunny day.
As with any subject building a solid foundation in the basics allows for future development and experimentation. At the heart of colour basics lies the colour wheel, first introduced by Sir Isaac Newton in a series of experiments published in 1672. Newton’s colour wheel not only showed colour but he also linked it to music and the Zodiac.
It was not until 1810 and the publication of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe treatise on colour that any challenge to Newtons theory of colour was published. Whilst Newton concentrated on the physics of colour, Goethe explored how we perceive colour, the emotional effects and colour harmony.
In modern day terms Johannes
Itten 1888 – 1967 has had a great impact on colour theory, in his book The
Art of Colour: The Subjective Experience and Objective Rationale of Colour Itten
includes colour wheels, stars and spheres to support his theories on hue,
saturation and contrast. Ittens colour wheel was incorporated into computer
operating systems. I also think his quote from the book introduction is of
great value “if you are un-knowingly able to create master pieces in colour,
then un-knowledge is your way. But if you are unable to create masterpieces of colour
out of your un-knowledge, then you ought to look for knowledge”.
Froebel.1998.Johannes Itten.[online].Available from: http://froebelweb.tripod.com/web2018.html [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Colour schemes
Colour theory states
that to achieve colour harmony use any two colours that are opposite
each other on the colour wheel, any three colours that are equally spaced
around the colour wheel forming a triangle, or any four colours forming a
rectangle.
Classic colour schemes are:
1.
Monochromatic: based on variations in lightness and
saturation of a single colour.
Picasso, P. 1902. Blue Nude.[online image]. Available from: http://www.pablopicasso.org/blue-nude.jsp [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Analogous: colours that are adjacent to each other.
Monet,C. 1914.Water Lillies. [online image]. Available from: http://www.artofmonet.com/Home_Page.htm [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Complementary: two colours that are opposite each other.
Matisse, H.1905. Woman with a Hat.[online image]. Available from: http://www.henri-matisse.net/paintingssectionone.html [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Split Complementary: variation of complimentary where by the two adjacent colours of the
opposite colour are used.
Frieseke, F. 1908. Through the Vines. [online image]. Available from: http://www.reproduction-gallery.com/oil_painting/details/copy_artist/1154225228/masterpiece/Frederick_Carl_Frieseke/museum_quality/Through_the_Vines_1908.xhtml [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Tetradic (Double Complementary): two pairs of complimentary colours.
Monet, C. 1904. Houses of Parliament, Sunset. [online image]. Available from: http://www.artofmonet.com/Home_Page.htm [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Triadic: three colours
equally spaced around the colour wheel.
A great way to see how some of the more famous artists use colour is at colourlovers.com; members take a famous painting and attempt to reproduce the artist’s palette.
Magritte, R. 1928. The Lovers. [online image]. Available from: http://en.wahooart.com/a55a04/w.nsf/Opra/BRUE-5ZKELV [Accessed 3 April 2012]
colourlovers. 2008. The Lovers.[online image]. Available from: http://www.colourlovers.com/palette/323178/the_lovers [Accessed 3 April 2012]
From a design point of view an awareness of colour symbolism and target audience is essential as different cultures, age groups and social groups react differently to certain colours.This guide was adapted from Jennifer Kyrnin's.
Kyrnin, J. [unknown]. Colour Symbolism by Culture.[online]. Available from: http://webdesign.about.com/od/color/a/bl_colorculture.htm [Accessed 3 April 2012]
Red
- China: Good luck, celebration, summoning
- Cherokees: Success, triumph
- India: Purity
- South Africa: Colour of mourning
- Russia: Bolsheviks and Communism
- Eastern: Worn by brides
- Western: Excitement, danger, love, passion, stop, Christmas (with green)
Orange
- Ireland: Religious (Protestants)
- Western: Halloween (with black), creativity, autumn
Yellow
- China: Nourishing
- Egypt: Colour of mourning
- Japan: Courage
- India: Merchants
- Western: Hope, hazards, coward
Green
- China: Green hats indicate a man's wife is cheating on him, exorcism
- India: Islam
- Ireland: Symbol of the entire country
- Western: Spring, new birth, go, Saint Patrick's Day, Christmas (with red)
Blue
- Cherokees: Defeat, trouble
- Iran: Colour of heaven and spirituality
- Western: Depression, sadness, conservative, corporate, "something blue" bridal tradition
Purple
- Thailand: Colour of mourning (widows)
- Western: Royalty
White
- Japan: White carnation symbolizes death
- Eastern: Funerals
- Western: Brides, angels, good guys, hospitals, doctors, peace (white dove)
Black
- China: Colour for young boys
- Western: Funerals, death, Halloween (with orange), bad guys, rebellion
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