Emotion, mood and atmosphere
Often when an artist uses colour in a painting they are trying to communicate an emotion, mood or atmosphere. They could either be trying to make a viewer feel a certain way or they are trying to communicate their own feelings.
One way to do this is through wider social and cultural ideas we associate with certain colours. Let's take the colour red as an example.
Red
The colour red has many different meanings.
Often we link red to danger. In western culture, red is often used in warning signs or to tell you to not do something, like no smoking. In traffic lights, the colour red is used to mean stop.
Red can also have a link to anger. Cartoons or movies may show a character going red in the face when getting upset. It can also mean embarrassment.
Red can also have positive associations. We link red with love and passion - it appears all over Valentines cards in February. We also see red as a festive colour - the colour of Christmas and Santa Claus.
Different cultures treat colours very differently however. In China, red is seen as a lucky colour. In South Africa red is seen as the colour of death and mourning (which is normally associate with black in the United Kingdom). The use and meaning of colour can vary depending on where artists and their audiences come from.
In this crime prevention poster (Central Office of Information, 1960s), the bright red suggests danger.
The black silhouette contrasts with the background and looks sinister.
Often black and red (or orange or yellow) appear together in nature as a warning. For example bees, wasps and even poison dart frogs have markings in these colours to warn other animals away.
The use of red and black together helps fulfill the poster’s purpose of warning us about a possible threat.
Whistler explored the monochromatic technique again in Red and Pink: The Little Mephisto (1884). By using tints, shades and tones of red, Whistler has created a work with much more energy and passion than in Portrait of the Artist’s Mother.
A single colour can have a number of meanings but it is up to you to form an opinion on why a piece of artwork includes certain colours.
Some further examples of the links and associations with other colours are as follows:
| Green | Yellow | Orange |
| Nature, cool, money, freshness, growth, sickness, jealousy | Happiness, warmth, cheery, laughter, lighthearted | Happiness, enthusiasm, energy, warmth |
| Green | Nature, cool, money, freshness, growth, sickness, jealousy |
|---|---|
| Yellow | Happiness, warmth, cheery, laughter, lighthearted |
| Orange | Happiness, enthusiasm, energy, warmth |
| Blue | Purple |
| Sadness, loneliness, cold, calm, serenity, freshness | Royal (purple was a colour used by royalty), expensive, wealth, power, luxury, nobility |
| Blue | Sadness, loneliness, cold, calm, serenity, freshness |
|---|---|
| Purple | Royal (purple was a colour used by royalty), expensive, wealth, power, luxury, nobility |
Although not colours, white and black also have a lot of associations.
| White | Black |
| Purity, innocence, cleanliness, space, neutrality, goodness, coolness, high tech, | Evil, darkness, fear, death, intelligence, strength, elegance, mystery |
| White | Purity, innocence, cleanliness, space, neutrality, goodness, coolness, high tech, |
|---|---|
| Black | Evil, darkness, fear, death, intelligence, strength, elegance, mystery |
There are many different associations attached to colours. Most colours can have positive as well as negative feelings attached. Some colours share the same ones too.
Many colour association can be personal so you may agree with some of the ones above but disagree with others.