Color Examples in Art & Media
Art and media heavily rely on color in visual work to portray symbolism and meaning without words. These subtle hints towards ideas, concepts, and feelings help to carve depth and emotion within an art piece, allowing for it to better affect the viewer.
These are some examples of the usage’s of color in art and media and why they were used.
Red
One notable red artwork is Leonid Afremov’s Rain’s Rustle II. This painting of an outdoor scene has a unique mixture of warm and cool tones. The blues of the sky are a direct contrast to the trees, which fiery tones depict the warmth between the couple in the center of the painting as well as the season, fall.
On a larger scale, in the creation of the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo used a high amount of red glaze. Since the Sistine Chapel is a church in the Vatican — the heart of the Catholic church — Michelangelo painted the scenes of the Old Testament on the ceiling. Red was heavily used in this design as it’s one of the indicators of the holy spirit.
An excellent example of the use of red for emotion is in Imran Qureshi’s paintings, particularly The Garden Within. This piece is an excellent show of violence and anger, as the use of harsh maroon (a color that is suggestive of violence and passion) paints the image of trees and blood. The maroon blood is obviously a violent concept, but it being painted between the two plants is even more significant and strikes the heart of the viewer.
Yellow
Joseph Mallord William Turner and Vincent Van Gough are also notable painters; their works Approach to Venice and Sunflowers, respectively, highlight the color yellow in their natural designs. In Approach to Venice, yellow is used as a sign of caution for an implied storm on the horizon. In Sunflowers, yellow is used as a focal point and implies freshness indoors.
Aside from eye-catching paintings, the color is also popular in media. A show of the color in film is in the movie Dick Tracy. Throughout the story the main character, Dick Tracy, wears a yellow jacket. This isn’t where the color stops, however, as Dick himself demonstrates many of the traits that the color yellow symbolizes. Yellow has many associations with obsession and energy due to it’s bright and very eye-catching tones. In this movie, every time the obsessive detective (wearing his signature jacket) enters a scene the screen is brightened and the situation suddenly becomes energized.
A literary example is the book The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, a story about a woman whose husband forces her to stay home to deal with her mental illness. As she lives in her bedroom she constantly describes the yellow wallpaper. This type of yellow is more of a muddled one, the color alone showing her unease, caution, sickness, and the neglect put upon her.
“‘The color is hideous enough, and unreliable enough, and infuriating enough, but the pattern is torturing…’” (The Yellow Wallpaper)
Orange
Orange is popularly used to enhance character. In one famous painting, Flaming June, the focus is a sleeping woman. Even though she’s asleep, the title of the painting and the bright orange dress she bears tells the viewer that the woman is likely outgoing and has a bright personality. This is all suggested without words, through the use of the color orange.
Orange is popularly used to enhance character. In one famous painting, Flaming June, the focus is a sleeping woman. Even though she’s asleep, the title of the painting and the bright orange dress she bears tells the viewer that the woman is likely outgoing and has a bright personality. This is all suggested without words, through the use of the color orange.
Orange, due to it’s bright nature, also pops up as a central focus on many notable album covers such as Ed Sheeran’s + and The Smiths Louder Than Bombs. The use of these colors is likely to promote the albums. Orange has many positive attributes associated with it, such as creativity and energy, which can draw people to the album.
Green
Green is largely seen in depictions of the natural world. In the example of James McNeil Whistlers painting Symphony in Grey and Green the Ocean, the Statue of Liberty, and Claude Monet’s The Japanese Bridge, green showcases nature.
In Symphony in Grey and Green the Ocean green is used to mirror the dark sky and suggest bad weather and times ahead. In The Japanese Bridge, green is used to show the lush, growing landscape of Monet’s land and the budding life within it. Meanwhile, the Statue of Liberty is only green because of nature. The original copper used to coat the statue was worn over time by the area’s weather, oxidizing the pigment and turning it from a copper color to a green.
Blue
Some famous blue-centered artworks are Picasso’s The Old Guitarist, Franz Marc’s Blue Horses, and Bill Anders’ Earthrise photograph.
Blue is often the central focus of an artwork where a more somber or sad feeling is intended (as is seen in The Old Guitarist). Blue is present in Earthrise as it’s a color of the earth. This photo was one of the first taken of earth from space and is significant to human history.
Indigo
Due to its rarity and lack of distinction, there are few famous indigo artworks. One notable use of indigo today is its presence in the world of flight, being highlighted in name and logo color by IndiGo Airlines, located in India.
Violet
Some notable works highlighting violet are Jeff Koons purple Balloon Rabbit (Violet). Jeff Koons has many balloon sculptures in different colors, each reminiscent of childhood and creativity.
Another purple artwork is Lavender Field by Ivailo Nikolov, where the bright rows of lavender catch the eye of the viewer. Lavender, often considered expensive, fits the color purple and its meanings quite well.
Purple is also found in royal fashion over time.
