Module 3- Emotion and Art

Lauren Roetzer

You wouldn’t think it, but color has an extreme impact on human emotion and feeling. The emotions that color evokes in us, however, can change drastically based on context and environment, that is to say that there are no set rules. For example, the color red is used to show anger or fear, but if a loved one gives us a Valentine’s Day card it doesn’t mean that they are angry at us, actually it means quite the opposite. In that situation, the color red is used to symbolize love or romance. In another example, the color blue can sometimes be used to show calmness or tranquility. But if you went to a stage production and saw that the stage was lit up blue, it could also mean that the characters were cold or feeling sad.

            Warm and cool colors also have an effect on our emotions. Warm colors, which are typically red, oranges and yellows, can muster up feelings of happiness, excitement or energy. Cooler colors, on the other hand, such as blues, greens and purples, express a more calming or soothing feeling. Of course, colors and their temperatures can directly impact us by triggering memories or emotions that we associate with them.

            The theoretical aspect of color that fascinates me the most is value. Value is the lightness or darkness of a color, this intrigues me because within a color, the different values can mean different things to our human emotions. For example, I love the color blue, but specifically light blue. Light blue, to me, symbolizes happiness, like the color of a clear sky on a sunny day. However, dark blue makes me think of sadness or deep depression, like angry ocean waves during a storm. Even though both are the color blue, the value of the color has a direct impact on my emotions.

In the color video, the part that had the most impact on me in regards to emotion was Van Gogh’s painting The Night Café. In the video, they described how Van Gogh thought of the café as “a place where man could go to ruin himself” or “go mad or commit a crime.” To portray his negative emotions, he used colors that would intentionally clash, and create an irritating, ugly and hectic environment. The colors Van Gogh chose set the tone of the whole piece, if he had chosen any other other color combination it would have set an entirely different tone for the painting.

            In the video, Feelings: Emotions and Art, the part that had the biggest and most profound effect on me was Giotto’s work. Before Giotto began to paint, saints and holy figures were depicted as flat. Looking at these early holy figures, you could describe them as boring, they didn’t seem to have any life at all. When Giotto, started painting holy figures in the 14^th century, however, that all changed. He was the first to give the saints depth and dimension. Giotto painted them to look life like, round and physical. I like how Giotto was able to bring a new appreciation for art and technique through the people who saw his work. Before him people were only interested in the stories the art told about the bible, not necessarily how pretty or life like the saints were, but when Giotto began to paint in chapels, he was able to show people how important art was as well as help people connect with the biblical stories his art depicted.