This month, we will talk about three characteristics of color. Color is produced when light strikes an object, and is reflected back to the eye or pupil. First, hue is the purest form of color such as red, yellow, and blue. The second property is intensity, which refers to the vividness of the color. The third and final property of color is its value i.e., lightness or darkness. Adding white makes the color lighter while adding black makes the color darker. You'll remember we talked about the ten steps of value last month.
Paintings of all kinds rely on color to tell a story. When planning an image, artists will consider the mood or feeling to convey their narrative. Red, orange, and yellow are the warmer hues and evoke a feeling of happiness and fun, while blue, green, and purple as the cooler relatives elicit a calming response from the viewer. The artist may play with any combination of colors to explain the painting's subject.
Look at the paintings above. Do you see color relationships leading to the the mood of the work?