Color Theory: Produce your own illustrated document

Introduction:

The colour wheel is built on three colours: red, yellow, and blue. All other colours can be mixed from these three colours (plus black or white).

“In the visual arts, color theory is a body of practical guidance to color mixing and the visual effects of specific color combination. There are also definitions (or categories) of colors based on the color wheel: primary color, secondary color and tertiary color.” From Wikipedia

“Artists and interior designers have long understood how color can dramatically affect moods, feelings, and emotions. It is a powerful communication tool and can be used to signal action, influence mood, and cause physiological reactions.” From About.com

Show what is meant by Primary and Secondary colors?

Primary - sets of colors that can be combined to make a useful range of colors.

Secondary – sets of colors that are the original combined forms of primary colors.

What are complementary and analogous colors?

Complimentary - Colors that are opposite each other on the color wheel (the picture on top is shown with the lines)

Analogous - Color schemes use colors that are next to each other on the color wheel, more pleasurable when viewing

Show what is meant by “warm” colors and “cool” colors?

Warm – colors that tend to make you think of sunlight and heat

Cool – colors that remind us of water and sky

What do we mean by “natural” and “arbitrary” colors?

Natural – colors that match the environment

Arbitrary – colors that are not realistic or natural

Find images of the paintings below, describe how they use colour and say what you think the effect of the colors is:

Relational Painting No. 64, 1953Fritz Glarner (American, born in Switzerland, 1899–1972)Oil on canvas 20 x 20 in. (50.8 x 50.8 cm)

Most white boxes are mixed with black lines, mixed with one blue, one yellow & three red boxes in some areas. Both primary colors stand out along with the white together since having them put separately can fit in all boxes. This art piece is expressionism, where artists paint in any direction (primary colors are limited) with white being the main attraction. This gives a feeling that the color symbolizes (red being cozy, blue being cool, etc).

Summer 1965, 1965Hans Hofmann (American (born in Germany) 1880-1966)Oil on canvas; H. 72, W. 48 inches (182.9 x 121.9 cm.)

The background seems white but the additional parts are the usage of mixture between the primary & secondary colors (including pink & some brown areas). His primary colors are not the only ones being the spotlight but the pink & the brown can be good too. It’s also expressionism where people paint all over the piece giving a feeling towards viewers.

Homage to the Square: Soft Spoken, 1969Josef Albers (American, born Germany, 1888–1976)Oil on Masonite 48 x 48 in. (121.9 x 121.9 cm)

Because of Albers’ attitude, this is not only a single painting having one series of color, but you also find more about the usage on switching colors (the picture on the right is green/green-like, or anything on the same color level). With all of his colors, this makes him more suited to expressionism, because the first 3 are in the same category (expressionism).

Morning on the Seine near Giverny, 1897Claude Monet (French, 1840- 1926)Oil on canvas; 32 1/8 x 36 5/8 in. (81.6 x 93 cm)

Another part for the art piece is when there is a named tree near a river in the setting. The name itself comes from the house area (The Giverny) near my home, with the exception that the scenery doesn’t feature the color effects of a sea. It uses cool colors for having the trees aside & some white-cyan mixed up together for creating a river-like thing matching the

scene. This makes it part of realism, but also expressionism because the river shows some coolness (with the blue).

La Berceuse, 1889Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853- 1890)Oil on canvas; 36 1/2 x 29 in. (92.7 x 73.7 cm)

As a famous artist, Van Gough usually has an identity on his style but one of his pictures on the right shows loads of greens, reds & some spherical shapes with one female figure. The cool colors are at the top half of the picture while the warm ones are in the bottom half of the picture. But we’ve noticed that this picture is the usage on realism, a picture can be based on real things.

André Derain, 1906Maurice de Vlaminck (French, 1876–1958)Oil on cardboard 10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in. (26.4 x 21 cm)

The use of realism makes on a drawing of an artist drawing an artist by another artist. To make a real person (like one of my classmates or someone else besides fictional), this painting uses lots of hot colors (sometimes a few cool colors for clothing) to paint one person. This is another realism because some people draw another like anime versions, manhua versions, sci-fi, mixed versions or other versions for them. So Vlaminck’s idea is the key to give us the next step for creating a more effective piece together with your favorites too.

Woman with a Hat, 1905Henri Matisse (French, 1869-1954)Oil on canvas 31 cm x 24 cm

Like the last two, it’s also realism with the exception of multi-color effect on the artwork bringing a stunning effect for viewers to see. With hot & cool colors together for realism (lots of blues, greens, oranges, yellows, whites, etc), it’s so stunning like Van Gough’s realism, even it takes at least a few days to finish a picture like this, none of any compact artwork from the commercial world can be like the artists I’ve researched since the 9th grade. This artwork from Henri Matisse is another key to learn color & realism so we don’t get spoiled from commercial artworks.