A man paints with his brains and not with his hands. Michelangelo A painting that is well composed is half finished. A picture is a poem without words. Pierre Bonnard Horace A picture is worth a thousand words. Napoleon Bonaparte A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament. Oscar Wilde A writer should write with his eyes and a painter paint with his ears. Gertrude Stein A guilty conscience needs to confess. A work of art is a confession. Albert Camus
C O O L R
Lesson 1: The Properties of Color
Color Color is magic and has great expressive qualities; so it is important to understand what it is and how you see it. Color is light reflected from a surface. It can create emphasis, harmony, emotions, unity, and dimension. Color has three properties, which work together to make the colors we see. Hue Value - Intensity
COLOR Every color is the product of a combination of reflected light waves - white reflects all light waves and is, therefore, a combination of all colors. By bending a white light wave through a prism, we can see the color spectrum red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
OBJECTIVES: 1. Hue, Value, and Intensity 2. Color Schemes 3. Understanding the Nature and Uses of Color.
Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944) Russian artist He was a founder of The Blue Rider movement. The group followed the art style known as Expressionism. Its goal was to express raw emotion, mainly through composition. Kandinsky, an innovator, created abstract compositions at a time when most artists were producing lifelike subjects. He also stood out by using bold, brash colors as a unifying element. TENSION IN RED, 1926
Discussions: 1. Notice the variety of colors used in this painting. Where in your environment do you find colors like these? Are these calming colors? If not, how would you describe them? 2. Study the bright colors and sharp, angular lines of Kandinsky painting. Read the title. Do you think the title captured the mood of this work? Do you experience tension and unrest in this work, or do you find it peaceful and calm?
Reflect # 1: IDENTIFYING BASIC CONFLICT Observe that, like any good story or novel, the painting tension in red - despite its abstract nature is filled with conflict. The clusters of sharp triangles are set on the diagonal. Also observe the setting of the story: the skewed bright red pentagon that serves as backdrop to the action. - Use your imagination to describe the warring parties or factions involved. What feeling or mood do diagonal lines suggest? How many factions are involved in this conflict? Translate the story of this painting into words. Name the various parties involved and tell what the conflict is over.
(1) Hue Hue is the name of a color in the color spectrum. Red, yellow, and blue are the primary hues in pigments. Mixtures of these make the secondary hues: orange, violet, and green. And six intermediate hues are mixtures of primary and secondary colors. Mixing a hue with its complement dulls the hue, or lowers its intensity.
Primary colors In color mixing for painting, the fundamental rule is that there are three colors that cannot be made by mixing other colors together. These three, red, yellow, blue are known as the primary colors.
Secondary colors If you mix each of the primary colors in equal proportions you get the three secondary colors. These three secondary colors are orange, green and violet. blue + red = purple red + yellow = orange yellow + blue = green These six colors together make up what we traditionally think of as the rainbow, though in reality the rainbow in nature does not have distinct lines between the colors so all colors are present.
Tertiary colors Taking yet another step, we arrive at what is commonly called the tertiary colors. Once again, you combine neighbors in equal parts to arrive at the 6 tertiary colors of red-orange, orangeyellow, yellow-green, green-blue, blue-violet, and violet-red.
(2) Value Value is the element of art that describes the darkness or lightness of a color. You can add black or white to hues to change their values.
(3) Intensity Intensity is the brightness or dullness of a hue. A light value of a hue is called a tint. A dark value of a hue is called a shade. To lower the intensity of a hue, you can mix it with its complement.
Compare Kandinsky s painting with that of Matisse. Using what you already learn about color value and intensity, explain the relationship to the color scheme chosen. Also compare and contrast the variety of lines and shapes in these works. You may use dictionary to add words to your line descriptions. For extra points you may create a poem about one of the artworks.
HENRI MATISSE 1869-1954 French artist who experimented with different styles throughout his long career. Around the turn of the 20 th c., Matisse and a group of young French artists were shown together in a famous art exhibit. Their use of intense colors, bold designs, and energetic brushwork inspired a critic to name them the Fauves, or Wild Beasts. Western art moved from the realistic depiction of subject matter to artworks composed entirely of color and lines without any recognizable subject matter. Matisse s emphasis on flat planes of color and dynamic lines reflects the art trends and themes of the time. INTERIOR WITH EGYPTAN CURTAIN,1948
Reviewing: The Expressive Qualities of Line Line is an important element in the language of art because of its expressive capabilities. For example: Vertical lines are static and appear to be at rest, expressing stability. Horizontal lines are also static, expressing feelings of peace, rest, and quiet. Since curved lines change direction, they express activity. Diagonal lines express instability, tension,& excitement While zigzag lines create confusion.
Lesson 2 Color Schemes
To avoid putting colors together in a confusing or unpleasant way, an artist uses colors according to a plan, called a color scheme. The primary triad is composed of red, yellow, and blue. The secondary triad contains orange, green, and violet. To make this combination more comfortable to look at, however, an artist may need to change the intensity or value of the hues.
For a monochromatic color scheme, an artist uses only one hue and the tints and shades of that hue. This type of scheme unifies a design, but it can be boring.
Artists can employ analogous colors, colors that sit side by side on the color wheel and have a common hue. Using this scheme, they can tie one shape to the next through a common color.
By using complementary colors, artists create lively designs. They can also use a color triad, composed of three colors spaced an equal distance apart on the color wheel.
A color scheme that offers more variety is the split - complement. The split complement uses the combination of one hue plus the hues on each side of its complement
Finally, artists may choose to use warm or cool colors, which are associated with certain moods.
Lesson 3:
The type of pigment, binder, and solvent that are used in paint affect the color you see. Pigments are finely ground, colored powders that form paint when mixed with a binder. The binder is a material that holds together the grains of pigment. The solvent is the liquid that controls the thickness or thinness of the paint. In the past, pigments came from animals, vegetables, and minerals. Now, brighter, synthetic pigments are available.
Artists use color to express thoughts, ideas, and emotions. They can represent optical color, the color that results when a true color is affected by unusual lighting or its surroundings. The Impressionists used optical color to express the sensation of light and atmosphere. Other artists use arbitrary color, based on personal preference. They use color to express meaning and affect moods
Color can also be used to create illusions of depth and a sense of movement. Warm colors seem comforting, and cool colors seem mysterious. And when the values in a work change quickly, a feeling of excitement and movement is created. Sometimes, to unify a work, an artist lets one color, such as blue, dominate. This is called tonality.