Color Theory and Emotional Effects

1.      Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Emotional responses triggered by color can be both culturally conditioned responses, as well as individually personally responses. An emotional response to a color often has to do with the color’s intensity and value. Colors are often classified in terms of temperature, and can generally be associated with certain emotions based on these classifications. Colors on the red-orange side of the color wheel are considered warm colors, and are typically associated with feelings of warmth, comfort, love, anger and hostility. Colors on the blue-green side of the color wheel are considered cool colors, and are usually associated with feelings of calmness, serenity, and sadness. Intense dark colors are often used to depict negative scenes or death, and bright hues of colors are often used for the exact opposite. Artists are able to use color schemes in order to project feelings onto viewers, and it can also help them express inner emotions and feelings.


2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

            I think it is interesting that some theorists in the 19^th century believed that black should stop being used altogether in paintings since it is not found in the natural spectrum of color. I would have never imagined eliminating black as an option for color choice; however, it makes sense how utilizing different hues of color can be just as effective in demonstrating contrast. Artists are able to use color in order to represent certain emotions and feelings, and these effects can be much richer when focusing on changes in color hues for darkness.

3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

            Mark Rothko’s attempt at provoking an emotional response from utilizing color alone in his paintings for the Four Seasons hotel in NYC made the biggest impact. The paintings were so simple, yet he felt that his color choices of dark reds, maroons, and blacks would be able to depict ill feelings of the hotel onto its customers. He used these colors to indicate the emotions of hate, and he hoped that the customers would have feelings of being trapped. He decided he hated the hotel, and wanted to make the customers want to leave the restaurant by looking at the paintings. His paintings were never used in the hotel, which shows how powerful color choices can be at depicting moods and emotions on to the audience.

4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

            The video discussed the change in Francisco Goya’s artwork style as he aged and underwent certain emotions and feelings. This stood out to me the most because it showed how an artist can utilize color to express their inner emotions, rather than just focusing on commanding an emotion from others. As an artist starting out, he used an array of bright colors to paint cheerful scenes, like a picnic in the country. However, in his mid-40s, he became severely ill and began feeling an end to his political hopes when Spain declared war on France. He then began painting hell like scenes, with evil images that were depicted by dark, dreary colors. These colors were chosen to express his newfound dark emotions, and they helped to depict the death and emptiness he was feeling.