Color in Art

1. COLOR
In art

2. An element of art
Has three properties:
(1) HUE
the color name, e.g., red, yellow, blue, etc.
(2) INTENSITY
the purity and strength of a color
(3) VALUE
the lightness or darkness of a color

3. More color terms/concepts:
Color and mood
Realistic vs.
Arbitrary (Subjective)
or Symbolic Color

4. Pisarro

5. Paul Gauguin

6. Pablo Picasso

7. Van Gogh

8. The visual spectrum
is organized as a color wheel
The colors can divided into groups (or schemes)
such as primary, secondary and intermediate (or
tertiary) colors; analogous and complementary,
and also as warm and cool colors.

9. Frank Stella

10. Franz Marc

11. Hundertwasser

12. Dale Chihuly

13. Warm and Cool Colors
Psychologically, warm colors are said to be stimulating and
passionate. Optically, warm colors generally appear to
advance, coming toward the viewer.
Cool colors are calming, unemphatic, depressive; and
optically, they generally appear to recede.

14. Picasso

15. O’Keefe

16. Matisse

17. Paul Gauguin

18. Color Schemes:
Primary, Secondary & Tertiary (Triads)
Stablility, variety, vibrant

19. Lichtenstein

20. Andy Warhol

21. Jasper Johns

22. Jasper Johns

23. Thiebaud

24. Thiebaud

25. Kirchner

26. Stuart Davis

27. Monochromatic
A single hue plus its tints, tones and shades
(think values of that color)

28. Henry Matisse

30. Dale Chihuly

31. Color Scheme:
Complementary
High contrast, vibrant

32. Edward Hopper

33. Van Gogh

34. Hundertwasser

35. Color Scheme:
Split Complementary
High contrast, vibrant

36. Gauguin

37. Franz Marc

38. Van Gogh

39. Color Scheme:
Analogous
Harmonious, often found in nature

40. Mary Cassatt

41. Rothko

42. Andy Goldsworthy

43. Claude Monet

44. O’Keefe