The language of colour

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 below but disagree with others.

Green	Yellow	Orange
Nature, cool, money, freshness, growth, sickness, jealousy	Happiness, warmth, cheery, laughter, lighthearted	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

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

Franz Marc used primary and secondary colours in The Tiger.

The tiger is made from bold yellow and black shapes. They stand out against the blue leaf shapes in the bottom left of frame and the purple areas to the top right.

There is a closer harmony with the green and orange – both secondary colours that contain yellow. These colour relationships and the similar shapes used suggest the tiger is at home in its surroundings.

Our relationship with colour is a very personal one. We all see colours differently and enjoy the feel of different tones and colour frequencies, sometimes colour calms us or evokes memories. Playing with Art materials and seeing how colours behave is a vital part of creating our own art language.

Any excuse to get the paints out

Have a great week,

love Liz at the beach Hut xx