Color and Emotions

1. Describe Color and it's effects on emotions. Use the appropriate vocabulary of color in your posting.

Color at it's most basic is not a thing, but light. Different objects we see aren't what we're actually seeing, what we're seeing is light. White light is a combination of all colors, and when lights hits a surface some colors are absorbed and some are reflected into our eyes. Color isn't just that though, it also has a great effect on emotions. For example, blue has a calming effect on people, while red is a color associated with passion.

2. What is a theoretical aspect of color that most intrigues/fascinates you? Why?

One thing that really sticks out for me is what was discussed in the text book about how certain colors have different associations in different cultures. For example, red and green in western culture have a strong association with Christmas, but in the Van Gogh painting  'The Night Cafe' the colors red and green are used to convey a very tense and almost violent situation - the polar opposite of the cheery feelings of Christmas. There was also the comparison that blue in English world is associated with sadness and in Indian culture it's associated with stability.

3. In the Color video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?
The thing that stood out for me in this video was how hard artists really have to focus on their coloring to get their artwork just right. There's frustration and even anger. As someone who's not an artist, I never really thought much about how color could really end up being the most important aspect of a piece of art. You need to get the color just right - I never really thought about how color would effect the way the viewer feels and that artists use specific colors to elicit a specific reaction.

4. In the Feelings video, what made the biggest impact on you in regards to color and it's effects on emotions?

The thing that stood out most for me in this video was how much art and color has an effect on religion, seeing all those religious works of art was interesting. Art, particularly in the Renaissance, was a major part of religion. Art was a way to present their religious stories and morals. This art, even today, helps for people to identify and connect with the religion and it's messages. And in turn, color was and is a major part of all of this. It's interesting to think about how much art and color have had such an effect on such a gigantic part of culture.