Color Theory and Emotional Effects

Color the most powerful artistic element but the most difficult to control.  Color works on the human brain and body in powerful ways.  Color is function of light.  Colors effects on emotions – how appetizing would green mashed potatoes be – you wouldn’t know what you were eating, disorienting color cues.  

Color properties – hue, value, intensity

                Hue- name
                Value – lightness or darkness
                Intensity – relative purity of color

Primary colors – red, yellow and blue:  These colors cannot be made by mixing other colors. 

Secondary colors – orange, green and violet: These colors can be made by combining 2 primary colors
Intermediate colors – products of 1 primary and 1 secondary color.

Red – increase appetite, horror, blood, anguish

Blue – lowers blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate, calming effect, freedom, calming (oceans, sky)

Bubble-gum pink is relaxing. 

Red and Green means Christmas

In the Color video the part most interesting was those painters had contracts and were told how much of each color they could use for the painting because of the cost of each color. 

In the Feelings video the most interesting part was about Leonardo da Vinci   - Mona Lisa painting.  Painted in 1505 he captured a person, a smile a human.