Color Theory in Action

Color theory is an extensive and complicated subject. One set of ideas which has always interested me though is Wassily Kandinsky’s theories of the spatial and optical qualities of different colors. In on treatise titled The Language of Form and Colour, Kandinsky specifically covers the qualities of warm versus cool colors. In this essay, he wrote that the movement of both colors “is an horizontal one, the warm colours approaching the spectator, the cold ones retreating from him.” This concept, that warm colors is perceived as closer to the eye, has effected many artworks since, including one of my own. For an art history class, we were instructed to create a work of art which emulated a particular artist or period. My chosen artist was Giorgio de Chirico, known for paintings such as Montparnasse Station and The Seer:

Montparnasse Station (above) and The Seer (below) (both images taken from Wikimedia Commons)

I also, however, combined elements of his style with Kandinsky’s theories, pulling them together into this painting:

As you can see, I utilized the concept of warm colors approaching the subject and cool colors receding to emphasize the layering of my painting. I wanted the figures as close to the viewer as possible. I also wanted the background to recede as much as possible. Furthermore, I chose yellow in particular because in that same treatise, Kandinsky described the color as having “a disturbing influence, and reveals in the colour an insistent, aggressive character.” Giorgio de Chirico was known for his unsettling images, so I thought that I might as well try to use yellow to my advantage to try and incite a similar feeling.

Despite whether or not my painting was a successful one, it proves that color theory is still very much prevalent. It is good to work with different color theories, because once an artist, or a designer, has a good grasp over their use of color, they can influence the viewer as they see fit. It is another tool for getting your message across, whether you want to soothe or to unsettle.