blog 3 (color theory and emotional effects)

Blog Topic: Color Theory and Emotional Effects

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

 It is intriguing to see the major role that color plays not only in the lives of painters but in the work of the paintings themselves. Artists have the ability to capture an audience with the techniques they use and how they are able to play around with color. Various colors give artists inspiration for their work. Different colors evoke different emotions, and as viewers we often feel a certain way based on the colors we see. There are cool and warm colors and based on the use of them, artists can achieve particular moods. With bright colors, a person can get a sense of happiness while looking at them, and with dark colors a person might feel sad or angry. With value, there are certain parts of a painting that can be expressed differently. A painter might use a combination of colors such as red and green to express how they are feeling in the moment or the idea they are trying to express.

From analyzing paintings, it is important to pay attention to emphasis. Artists often purposely focus particular colors in certain areas to grab the attention of the viewers. On the other hand, other colors may be placed in another area to draw the attention away from that particular area. The contrast of colors can also play a role in where the eyes are more likely to be drawn to while looking at paintings.

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

What fascinates me the most is the idea that not everyone might see colors in the same way. It can be a norm to think that everyone sees the color green in the same way, but this might not actually be the case. Color is in fact an illusion. Colors art apart of our everyday lives, what we wear eat and see can all be placed under this category. The fact that wearing certain colors can cause a person to feel a particular way is also very interesting. In the video entitled “Do You See What I See? The Science of Color Perception” brought to my attention another fascinating fact. One particular lady in the video does not see color the same way people see color. The photographer and artist from Ontario named Meghan Simms does not have the ability to see colors at all. Due to the fact that she lacks the color receptor cells called cones, she cannot see colors such as red and blue. I was amazed because I did not think such thing was possible. Before watching the videos I had the idea that everyone saw colors in the same way.

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

In the first video “Color” the steps that are taken when artwork is being created had the biggest impact on me. It was interesting to see the way artists viewed their work and how they felt about it after they were done creating the paintings. On particular artist viewed her work from a distance in order to determine how she truly felt about her work. From up close and with space, an artist might feel different about his or her work. With distance, some artists may be able to point out flaws. Colors might stand out in a different way than the did when the work was being created. In the second video “ Do You See What I See? The Science of Color Perception” brought to my attention more interesting things. It is expressed that colors have a great effect on how we feel. For example a blue light in a restaurant may allow a person to feel more calm and relaxed while eating dinner. Certain colors might also make a person feel hungry. Prior to watching this video, I did not think that color played such an important role in how we feel regarding certain things.