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This is also one of the most remarkable
and complex concepts. It affects each individual artist differently. The
master artist Jean Baptiste Simeon once said, “Who told you
that one paints with colors? One makes use of colors, but one paints
with emotions.” regarding this topic, no truer words have
been uttered. Artists ‘use’ color to help them describe
the mood of a painting as well as express and stir emotions in
their viewer. |
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The artists who are able to do so have learned to manipulate the
nuances of color and use combinations which turn flat images into
three dimensional works of art. Color theory is the academic study
of the working properties and attributes of color. This study leads to better
understanding the paint that artist’s work with. |
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Color knowledge is a fundamental tool in the artist’s tool
kit and one the artist will continue to explore throughout their
life. The articles in this ‘color’ section are there
to assist the student artist on their journey. We know this is
a complex subject and there are several ways to learn it, each
with different yet valid approaches to this interesting topic. |
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Color and Science |
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| The Standard Color Wheel |
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Color and science...
The earlier pigment’s which were used were based
on and limited to availability. As new pigments were discovered,
the artist’s palette expanded and color became an issue of
management and control. Since the 1600’s, the study of color
has also played an important role in the academic teaching of art.
In 1672 Sir Isaac Newton developed the first ‘color wheel’ after
he discovered the properties of light. Many artists simply focus on the hues and forget about why colors react to light in the manner that they do. It is hard to separate the
two, the physical properties of light and the way we artists see
and read the colors we work with. Over three hundred years later, we use different
ways to measure the properties of color. |
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There are two ways to study color; one is to study the Physics of it, or to study it within the context of Art.
It is important to understand the differences as well as the similarities
between these two approaches. At times the benefits from learning
the physical properties of color will help the artist appreciate what is beautiful
or artistic and they can look at the whole concept of color. |
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Walter Sargent, who was a Professor of art education at the University of Chicago
during the 1920’s wrote, “Indeed…Color to some of us is
what music is to others, namely the particular form of artistic expression in
which we find greatest satisfaction”. |
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