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DO NOT WRITE ON
https://www.sophia.org/tutorials/elements-of-art-color
FORMAL ELEMENTS: COLOR
COLOR - The hue that is reflected back to the eye

Three properties:
1. Hue: name of color
2. Value: hues lightness and darkness (a colors value changes when white or black is
added)
3. Intensity: quality of brightness and purity (high intensity= color is strong and bright;
low intensity= color is faint and dull)
Color has a profound effect on us even though we may not be aware of it. Every day our
emotions, moods, mental acuity and even physical sensationssuch as appetiteare
influenced by the colors that surround us.
Imagine that during the night while you were sleeping someone came and painted your
walls and ceiling black. How would it make you feel as you began your day? Now imagine
waking up to a bright sky blue, or a brilliant yellow, or a pale mint green. This is a good
exercise to get a sense of how much color can affect you.
Artists and designersas well as advertisersuse color very deliberately to make you feel
a certain way. Ever wonder why McDonalds uses so much red and yellow? The colors red
and yellow stimulate appetite. Color in the clothing you wear can also have an unconscious
effect on others.
Understanding the psychological and symbolic effects of color, and color theory--how colors
relate to each othercan be a powerful tool not just in art, design, and advertising, but
also in home decorating and personal style. A basic knowledge of color can strongly
enhance anyones lifeprofessional or not.

COLOR THEORY: UNDERSTANDING COLOR RELATIONSHIPS USING A COLOR WHEEL

The Color Wheel is a useful tool to begin understanding how colors relate to each
other. This is a very simple color wheel which we will refer to throughout this section. I
suggest that you make your own in a sketchbook or journal. Creating your own color wheel
and mixing colors will help you to understand the concepts we are discussing.

PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND TERTIARY COLORS

The color wheel is built on three colors: red, yellow, and blue. All other colors can be
mixed from these three colors (plus black or white). You can think of them as the building
blocks of color. Often, children's toys, clothes, books, furnishings and other objects use the
primary colors, especially for babies and toddlers.
PRIMARY COLORS are the main colors. You must have these three colors to create all the
colors on the color wheel.

RED

YELLOW

BLUE

PRIMARY COLORS
Notice the use of primaries in the painting below. How does the use of color feel to you?
You might think of balance, basic, building blocks---what kind of emotion do these colors
evoke in you? In this case, black and white are used to define shape in space, and
structure.

Relational Painting No. 64, 1953

, 1978
Fritz Glarner (American, born Switzerland,
RoyLichtenstein(American,
18991972)
New York
Oil on canvas 20x 20 in. (50.8 x 50.8 cm)
Oil and Magna on canvas; 86 x
Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, ArthurHoppockHearn Fund, ArthurLejwaFund
Gift of Celeste in
and
honor
Armand
of JeanArp;
Bartos, 1983
and TheBernhillFund,
(1983.579)Source:
Joseph H.HazenFound

SECONDARY COLORS are the colors that result from an equal mix of two primary colors.
(Refer to the color wheel). Red + yellow = ORANGE. Yellow + blue = GREEN. Blue + red =
VIOLET.
TERTIARY COLORS are the colors that result from an equal mix of one primary color and one
secondary color (Refer to color wheel). Red + orange = RED ORANGE. Blue + green = BLUE
GREEN, and etc. The word tertiary means third. (Some use the word Intermediate colors)
ANALOGOUS AND COMPLEMENTARY COLOR RELATIONSHIPS
ANALOGOUS COLORS are neighboring colors (next to each other on the color wheel). Green
and blue, yellow and orange, violet and red are examples of analogous colors. When used
together, analogous colors seem to blend with each other.

COMPLEMENTARY COLORS Paired colors that are on the opposite side of the color wheel from each
other. Red and green, blue and orange, violet and yellow are complementary colors.
Complementary colors create strong contrast. They stand out. They draw attention to
themselves. When equally mixed you create the neutral color brown . Complementary colors are
often used in advertising, and sports team colors.

SPLIT COMPLEMENTARY COLORS A color and the two colors on each side of its compliment

DOUBLE SPLIT COMPLEMNTARY COLORS Two pairs of compliments with one space apart on the
color wheel

TRIADIC COLORS Three colors spaced equally apart on the color wheel

Compare the use of analogous or complementary color schemes in the following artworks.
Notice how each makes you feel.
Notice how the colors blend together in the first three examples. The title of Albers'
painting ("Soft Spoken") fits with his use of analogous colors

Homage to the Square: Soft Spoken, 1969

Josef Albers (American, born Germany, 18881976)
Oil on Masonite 48 x 48 in. (121.9 x 121.9 cm)
.Gift of the artist, 1972 (1972.40.7)
2010 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Source: Josef Albers: Homage to the Square: Soft Spoken (1972.40.7) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Morning on the Seine near Giverny, 1897

Claude Monet (French, Paris 18401926 Giverny)
Oil on canvas; 32 1/8 x 36 5/8 in. (81.6 x 93 cm)
Bequest of Julia W. Emmons, 1956 (56.135.4)

Red, Ochre and White, 1952

Fritz Bultman (American, 19191985)
Gouache and graphite on paper; H. 23, W. 29 inches (58.4 x 73.7 cm.)
Gift of Estate of Fritz Bultman, 1994 (1994.437)

In the next artworks, compare the use of complementary colors to the use of analogous
colors. Compare the Bultman painting below (using complementary colors--the ochre color
works like orange) to the previous Bultman painting (Using analogous colors).

Blue I, 1958
Fritz Bultman (American, 19191985)
Gouache and graphite on paper; H. 29, W. 23 inches (73.7 x 58.4 cm.)
Gift of Estate of Fritz Bultman, 1994 (1994.436) www.metmuseum.org

In the following example, Lawrence is using both analogous and complementary colors.
Notice how the red stands out strongly and becomes the focal point.

Pool Parlor, 1942

Jacob Lawrence (American, Atlantic City, New Jersey 19172000 Seattle, Washington)
Watercolor and gouache on paper; H. 31 1/8, W. 22 7/8 in. (79.1 x 58.1 cm)
Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1942 (42.167) www.metmuseum.org

Here Van Gogh paintings, one using analogous colors and the other using complementary
colors.

Madame Roulin and Her Baby, 1888

Vincent van Gogh
(Dutch, Zundert 18531890 Auvers-surOise)French
Oil on canvas; 25 x 20 1/8 in.

La Berceuse (Woman Rocking a

Cradle; Augustine-Alix Pellicot Roulin, 1851
1930), 1889
Vincent van Gogh

VALUE: TINTS AND SHADES

VALUE is the lightness or darkness of tones/ hue (color).
In pencil drawings, value is determined by the amount of pressure you apply with the
pencil. The more the pressure, the darker the value. A very light touch will produce the

lightest shades. A classic exercise in working with value is to take your pencil and draw
lines back and forth on the paper, without lifting the pencil, starting with the lightest values
you can create and gradually adding more pressure to the pencil to create progressively
darker value, ending with the darkest hue you can create. See how many different values
you can create. This will enable you to create the exact values you want in your work.

Lighter values can be added to a hue by mixing white (or a lighter color) with it. This is
called a TINT. Darker values can be created by mixing black (or a darker color) with the
original hue. This is called a SHADE. Practice mixing colors to create as many tints and
shades as you can. The more you practice missing colors, the more precise you can be with
color in your own work.

MONOCHROME AND NEUTRALS

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A color scheme that incorporates tints and shades of only one hue (color) is called
MONOCHROMATIC. What kind of effect do you think that would have? Imagine a room
painted and decorated with a monochromatic color scheme, or an outfit that incorporates
tints and shades of just one color.

The Picture, 2004

Shishir Bhattacharjee (Bangladeshi, born 1960)
Mixed media on canvas; 135 X 135 cm Image courtesy of the artist Source: Postmodernism:
Recent Developments in Art in Pakistan and Bangladesh | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of
Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

NEUTRAL colors are considered to be whites, blacks, grays, browns and some tans. They
are called neutral because they are considered to have a minimal impact. (However, all you
have to do is imagine a room filled with office cubicles or a doctors exam room to see that

we do have a response to neutral colors)

In artwork, neutrals are used when the artist wants to emphasize structure or form over a
response to color. Cubists originally used only neutrals to call attention to the multiplicity of
viewpoints they combined. Some photographers prefer black and white over color
photography, so they can emphasize form.
In fashion, decorating, and graphic design, neutrals are used for the same reason, to
emphasize structure and form. Sometimes neutrals are used in clothing to keep from
calling attention to oneself, and in rooms to try to appeal to a wider group of people.

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WARM AND COOL COLORS

Some colors are called WARM because they tend to feel warm; while others are called cool
because they tend to feel COOL. Warm colors are Red, Yellow, Orange and all hues in
between. Cool colors are Blue, Green, Violet and all hues in between
The use of either predominantly warm or predominantly cool hues has a markedly different
psychological effect. For example, to some people cool colors feel more calm, while warm
colors may feel more energetic. An equal use of cool and warm colors would balance the
psychological response.
In addition to the psychological aspect, there is an optical effect of warm and cool colors.
Cool colors appear to recede, while warm colors appear to come toward the viewer.

Compare the feeling of the two rooms below. One uses primarily warm colors, while
the other uses primarily cool colors.

The Croome Court tapestry room,

Worcestershire, 175867 Designed by Robert
Adams (English, 17281792)
Plaster, pine, mahogany, bronze-gilt, marble, lapis
lazuli, steel, and tapestry H. 27 ft. 1 in. (825.5. cm),
W. 22 ft. 8 in. (690.9 cm), D. 13 ft. 10 3/4 in. (423.5
cm)

Room from the Hewlett House, ca. 174060

Woodbury, New York 9 ft. 3/4 in. x 17 ft. 3 in. (panel)
Gift of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, John B. Dunn,
William B. Codling and Edwin N. Rowley, 1910
(10.183) Source: Room from the Hewlett House
[Woodbury, New York] (10.183) | Heilbrunn Timeline
of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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INTENSITY
INTENSITY refers to how pure a color is. The purity of a color is determined by whether or
not a color is mixed with other colors and to what degree. The most intense colors are
those that are not mixed with other colors. Less intense colors are those that are mixed
with other colors (including black or white). These colors are called more muted. Like
complementary colors, intense colors attract attention. A color scheme that attracts the
most attention is the use of complementary colors with a high degree of intensity.

A good place to observe the contrast between intense and muted colors is looking across a
river or a vast landscape. The colors on the same side of the river, or those closest to you
in the landscape are more intense. Those on the other side of the river, or far away in the
landscape are more muted. This is known as atmospheric perspective. If you want to create
an illusion of great distance or space, use a contrast of intense and muted colors.
Notice the difference between the two paintings below. One uses very intense colors, while
the other uses muted colors. Compare the feeling and effect of intensity of color.

Andr Derain, 1906

Maurice de Vlaminck (French, 18761958)
Oil on cardboard 10 3/8 x 8 1/4 in. (26.4 x 21 cm)
Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998
(1999.363.83)
2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York /
ADAGP, Paris
Source: Maurice de Vlaminck: Andre

Hammamet with Its Mosque, 1914

Paul Klee (German, born Switzerland, 18791940)
Watercolor and pencil on paper
8 1/8 x 7 5/8 in.
(20.6 x 19.4 cm)
The Berggruen Klee Collection, 1984 (1984.315.4)
2010 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG
Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Source: Paul Klee: Hammamet

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PSYCHOLOGICAL COLOR AND SYMBOLIC COLOR

PSYCHOLOGICAL COLOR VS. SYMBOLIC COLOR
Most of what we have studied so far considers the psychological effect of color, in other
words, how people may feel when they are exposed to certain colors. This is a very
personal thing that varies from person to person, but there are many similarities between
people. Certain aspects of color theory involve a more optical response, how the eye
perceives color. For example, complementary colors attract attention, and warm colors
seem to come forward while cool colors appear to recede.
Symbolic color is universally (or culturally) accepted use of color to represent something
specific. Flags that represent different nations, sports teams, cultural rituals such as
weddings and funerals, and holiday themes are all examples of symbolic color. Everyone
(within a specific group of people) accepts that symbolic colors represent very specific
things. An emotional, or psychological response to symbolic color is a response not to how
the color feels, but to what the color represents.
How does the use of symbolic color affect the meaning or content of the two paintings
below?

Freedom of Speech, 1990

Faith Ringgold (American, born 1930)
Acrylic and pencil on paper 24 x 35 3/4 in. (61 x 90.8 cm)
Purchase, Gift of Hyman N. Glickstein, by exchange, 2001 (2001.288)
Faith Ringgold 1990 Source: Faith Ringgold: Freedom of Speech
(2001.288) | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan
Museum of Art

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Flags, 1968
Jasper Johns (American, born 1930)
Lithograph with stamps 34 x 25 in. (86.4 x 63.5 cm)
Gift of Dr. Joseph I. Singer, 1969 (69.701.2)
Jasper Johns/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY Source: Jasper Johns: Flags (69.701.2) |
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This Jasper Johns painting has a very interesting visual effect. Stare at the upper portion for
a few moments and then quickly shift your gaze to a white surface, like a wall or a sheet of
paper. You should see the flag in red, white, and blue.