2. Color has been an important medium for artists since the creation of
the first cave paintings in Spain over 40,000 years ago. Artists
frequently use pigment to give life to their subject matter, and
throughout the course of history, the colors of various pigments have
represented the geography and cultural norms of the artists utilizing
them.
Considering that psychology, or the science of the mind, was a
nineteenth century innovation, the term ‘psychology of color’ can be
considered to be a fairly recent moniker used to describe how color
affects the human psyche. However, for centuries artists have
intuitively realized that various colors evoke certain reactions from
viewers. This exhibit will showcase paintings by artists from the
Renaissance to the present, and discuss the symbolism and psychology
of the colors chosen by the artists for their works.

3. Green has been considered a symbol of fertility
and motherhood for hundred of years, and was
often used as a color for wedding dressing in
the 15th century, when this portrait was
painted. Some art historians believe that this
painting represents an arranged marriage. The
blue underdress of the female subject is
symbolic of her availability as a bride.
The blue and purple colors on the male subject
indicate his high social status. The red fabric on
the furniture reinforces his place in high society
and wealth. Van Eyck used a technique of
applying multiple layers of thin translucent
glazes to create paintings with an intensity of
tone and color. The colors help to highlight the
realism. The richness of the color reflect the
wealth of the Arnolfini family, since one had to
be wealthy to commission a portrait at this
period in time. C
Jan Van Eyck
Arnolfini Portrait
oil on oak
82.2 (panel 84.5) cm × 60 (panel 62.5) cm
1434

4. Jean-Michel Basquiat addressed issues of race,
capitalism and social injustice in many of his
works. He incorporated many styles into his art,
including graffiti. The extensive use of red and
orange draws viewers into the painting to see the
subjects as non-threatening and friendly upon first
glance yet as you delve deeper, the symbolism of
the colors take on different meanings. The subject
on the right has a body that is entirely red, which
can symbolize danger, and indeed the subject on
the left appears to be apprehensive of the subject
on the right. The subject on the left’s body is
composed of thin white lines. Psychologically
speaking, the white body is a blank canvas, ready
for a new beginning. The two subjects hands, one
red and one white, are about to touch, yet they
are divided by a thick orange line that is covered in
white. The warmth between them is hindered by
the sterility and cautiousness of the subject on the
left. Perhaps he has something valid to fear,
perhaps he does not. He is unsure about letting his
guard down. These two figures could represent the
duality of Basquiat’s life as an African- American
artist is a predominately White art world, and his
apprehension at the true intentions of those
around him.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Dustheads
acrylic, oilstick, spray enamel and
metallic paint on canvas
182.8 x 213.3 cm
1982

5. Wassily Kandinsky, one of the first abstract painters, was deeply
interested in color in art and developed multiple theories on the
properties of color in art and how they are best used. He wrote a treatise
in 1910 where he stated his belief that abstract colors and forms can be
used to express the “inner life” of the artist. Blue was his favorite color,
and he uses it liberally in this painting. He felt that he hear the color
blue, as well as see it. Kandinsky said, “As a picture painted in yellow
always radiates spiritual warmth…” Kandinsky has created a painting with
spiritual warmth represented by his yellows, and spiritual realization,
indicated by his indigo blues. His lighter blues are cool and calming, to
lighten the spiritual weight of the painting.
Peter Paul Rubens was a very successful Flemish painter who did
commissions for the Church and or non-religious patrons. His painting
represents the Baroque ideology that an artist should study nature
directly. His landscape below is filled with textures and colors
recognizable and symbolic of their natural form. The leaves are
starting to dry up and die on the trees, and the ground is brown. The
greens are minimal and muted in the painting, and the only vibrant
colors are on the upper-class woman being driven in a horse-drawn
carriage. The worker close to the center of the painting is as drab as
the landscape around him. He is a part of the earth around him, and
works the earth as surely as the upper-class woman in the carriage is
above the earth, and has no true connection with it, or with the
lower-class worker.
Wassily Kandinsky
Winter Landscape I, Kochel, Bavaria
oil on cardboard
71 1/2x 97 ½ cm
1909
Peter Paul Rubens
An Autumn Landscape with a View of Het Steen in
the Early Morning
oil on oak
131.2 x 229.2 cm
1636

6. Francis Bacon said about his painting, Study after Velazquez’s Portrait of
Pope Innocent X, that he was not against popes in general, however he
needed "an excuse to use these colours, and you can't give ordinary
clothes that purple colour without getting into a sort of false fauve
manner.“ In other words, although his pope is truly frightening to gaze
upon, Bacon wanted to use the color purple in a manner that would be
fitting for its symbolical purpose as a representation of power and
royalty. He did not want the color to represent something non-
naturalistic, as it would in artwork from the Fauve style.
El Greco was a sixteenth century painter that was known for his direct
interpretation of the Counter-Reformation style that the Roman
Catholic Church mandated during his lifetime. The Church wanted art
to appeal to emotion rather than reason, and it demanded that art
was accurate in its treatment or religious subjects. His portrait of Pope
Pius is illuminated from many different sources, suggesting a mystical
light, in tune with God. Even the color of the pope’s skin is an
unnatural, mystical white. The red of his cape indicates his high
political and religious stature, and his white robes symbolize his purity
in the name of God.
El Greco
Portrait of Pope Pius
oil on canvas
size unknown
1605
Francis Bacon
Study After Velaquez’s Portrait of Pope
Innocente X
oil on canvas
153 X 118 cm
1953

7. Paul Gaugin considered himself to be part of the
Symbolist movement, which emphasized the internal
world of the imagination and focus on dreams, which
was akin to the concepts of psychoanalysis. The name
Symbolism came from the desire of the artists
associated with the movement to create art that
symbolizes thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
Gauguin said he chose the color yellow for his yellow
Christ to convey how he felt about the isolated life of
the peasants in Brittany. They were a deeply religious
group of people that lived according to traditions that
their ancestors followed for centuries. The yellow body
of Christ ties in to the yellow color in the landscape in
the background. The agricultural season is analogous
to the life and death of Christ: in fall, which is the
setting of this painting, Christ is crucified, and crops
are harvested. In winter, there is no growth, just as
there was no movement or sign of life when Jesus was
in the tomb for three days, and finally, spring arrives
and new crops bloom and grow, just as Jesus rose from
the grave.
Paul Gaugin
The Yellow Christ
oil on canvas
92.1 x 73.3 cm
1889

8. Andy Warhol
Flowers
acrylic, pencil, spray enamel and metallic paint on canvas
24 and 48 inch canvas
Silkscreen, pencil, hand-painted acrylic and Day-Glo paint
1964
Pierre-Auguste Renoir
Vase of Flowers II
Size and date unknown
(approx. 1886 – 1888)
Andy Warhol’s flowers were based on a photograph in a magazine in the
1960’s. However, Warhol created his own interpretation of the photograph,
often belying colors actually found in nature, such as the fluorescent Day-
Glo flowers. In using fluorescent paint, Warhol challenged the standard
conventions and aesthetics as to what the viewer believes a flower looks
like. The colors almost vibrate with energy, the flowers seem as though
they are ready to leap off of the canvas and smother the viewer. The colors
are analogous to one another in the painting with more than one color, they
are a close range of tones which makes a richer look. Analogous colors are
often found in nature, which is a tongue-in-cheek jab at the unnatural color
of the flowers.
Renoir’s generous use of warm, vibrant colors in this painting invites the
viewer to immerse themselves into the painting. The colors are
saturated, inspiring the viewer to feel happy and energized. His reds
draw you in and pulls your focus towards the flowers to the left, center
and right side of the painting, which are the three flowers that are
seemingly bursting with an air of sensuality. Renoir’s velvety brush
strokes help to blend the colors so that the viewer feels as though there
are layers of flowers behind the vase, and the flowers are never-ending.
Renoir liked to paint outdoors, like many Impressionists, although he
was more interested in the psychological and emotional aspects of his
work than other artists of his time.

9. The interpretation of a flower is very different in
this painting than the two previous pieces of
work. This was painted by Pablo Picasso during
his Surrealist period. Surrealists were the first
group of artists to embrace the psychoanalytical
work of Sigmund Freud, who is considered to
father of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysts believe
that color can indicate mood. Picasso’s greens
and whites in his flower indicate springtime,
renewal and purity. Purple is the color of
imagination, and the purple face, arms and torso
of the woman tell of her emergence in the
imagination of Picasso to find her way onto his
canvas. She is of nature, indicated by the brown
colors surrounding her, and yet she has a level on
sensuousness, illustrated by the color red, which
makes her a multi-faceted woman. Picasso loved
women, he painted them frequently, and he had
many wives and many mistresses that he used as
muses over the years.
Pablo Picasso
Femme a la fleur (Woman with flower)
162x130 cm.
1932