An Introduction to C O L O R T H E O R Y: Lecture Two

1. An Introduction to COLOR THEORY: Lecture Two by Sarah Kaiser Fundamentals 102 AAA: The American Academy of Art

2. Topics Color Temperature: Warm and Cool Hans Hoffmann’s theory of “Push and Pull” Viscosity Complements Neutralize Color Local Color Color Harmonies: triadic, quadatic, split complements

3. Color Temperature • Warm colors: Reds, Yellows, and oranges (sunlight) • Cool colors: Blues, greens, violets (shadows) heavier • According to Hans Hoffmann, the warm colors PUSH FORWARD and the cool colors PULL BACK • Hoffmann’s Image: “Rising Moon, 1964.

4. Hans Hofmann • Artist, teacher, and master of Abstract Expressionism who created the Push/Pull Theory of Color. • Warm colors (red, orange, yellow) visually advance, while cool colors (blue and green) recede. • Tension---malleable---flexible. • Space like putty • Colors shift relative to their backgrounds: green looks more yellow on a blue background, but more blue on a yellow background. • See hanshofmann.net • Image: “Autumn Gold,” 1957

5. Temperature of pigment vs. Temperature of LIGHT • Pigment color is influenced significantly by the temperature of light • Incandescent light, sunlight, candle-light are all warm light sources. • Florescent light, UV light and Halogen are all cool light sources. • Cool light produces warm shadows • Warm light produces cool shadows

6. Light temperature produces harmony in a subject • Note the warm light from the sunrise influences even the traditionally “cool” colors ---- the blues greens and purples are also much warmer. Note how warm light produces cool shadow.

7. Evening sun in Italy ---- warm light filters out the blues --- “blue” sky can be perceived as violet or deep red. Image: “Promenade,” Richard Schmid

8. TERMS • Monochrome (meaning "one color") color harmonies include only one color. The value and intensity may vary. An example of a monochrome color scheme could include any color mixed with water, white or black. For example, navy and light blue are monochrome.

10. Split Complements • In this case, red’s split complements are the analogous colors ofgreen, its complementary color. Using split complementary colors can give you a design with a high degree of contrast, yet still not as extreme as a real complementary color. It also results in greater harmony than the use of the direct complementary. • More subtle

11. Triadic Color Scheme • Three hues equidistant from each other on the color wheel. When you want a design that is colorful and yet balanced, a triad color scheme is quite effective.

12. Viscosity • This describes how the paint slides across the canvas (or any other surface) . • Viscous = olive oil • Not so viscous = cream cheese/peanut butter (texture gels and modeling paste) • Liquid glaze makes the paint more viscous and more transparent. Plus, it extends the pigment. It also keeps the paint active (so it doesn’t dry as fast). • Gel makes the paint less viscous and more pasty (textural) • Modeling paste (opaque)

13. Impressionism • Originated in France in the late 19th century. • Painters wanted to capture the rapidly changing modern world and the fleeting moods of nature. • Relied on optical mixing to depict the fluctuations of light and consisted largely of views of everyday middle-class life in the city and countryside of France. • OPTICAL MIXING = MIXING THE COLORS ON THE CANVAS NOT ON THE PALETTE

14. Haystacks Series • Twenty-five paintings made in the period of one year (1890-91) • Thematic use of repetition to show differences in perception of light across various times of day, seasons, and types of weather • Intensely aware of and fascinated by the visual nuances of the region’s landscape and the variation in the seasons. • Image: Haystacks, End of Summer

15. Light and Seasons • Monet’s interest in the serial motif • First painter to paint such a large quantity of pictures of the same subject matter differentiated by light, weather, atmosphere and perspective • In order to work on many paintings virtually simultaneously, he would awake before dawn so as to begin at the earliest time of day • Image: Haystacks (Morning Sun)

16. Haystacks, Midday • Viewed always from the same angle, only the light would change, depending on the season, the weather and the time of day. • For thirty years he was able to concentrate almost exclusively on a few subjects: Haystacks, Poplars, Rouen Cathedral, the Houses of Parliament, the Water Lilies

17. Rouen Cathedral, Full Sunlight Monet painted over 30 canvases of the cathedral at various times of day, during different seasons. http://www.mcah.columbia.edu/monet/swf/

18. Complements yield beautiful low intensity colors (neutrals), but mixing all 3 primaries together results in buckets of mud.

19. Color Harmonies: left: triadic, right: quadratic

20. Examples of this week’s project: see Chapter 9 in text.

21. 1. Paste down pattern2. Trace with carbon paper.3. Divide into 6 regions: Region 1: Mix hues that match (replicate) original pattern Region 2: Use color wheel to find source color, and then mix complements that are the SAME value Region 3: Opposite values of original colors (b/w only) Region 4: Opposite intensities of original hues (pure colors) Region 5: Return to original colors

22. Monica Wygocki

23. Dustin Yoder

24. Kathleen Joyce

25. Kyle Surges

26. Sara Cooley

27. Jillian Krus

32. Carolynn Fogel

33. Amanda Kraenzle

34. Resources • Use color wheels to determine exact: • Source Color • Value • Intensity (purity) of paint samples • Vocab: triadic and quadratic color harmonies, split complements, color temperature (push and pull), viscosity, optical mixing