Colour Definition

Colour

•There has been a tremendous amount of research on how colour affects human beings and some of this research suggests that men and women may respond to colours differently.

•Colour affects us emotionally, with different colours evoking different emotions.

•In short, colour has the capacity to affect the human nervous system.

Pablo Picasso

The Guitarist 1903 – Pablo Picasso

Belonging to the Blue Period

In the latter part of 1901, Picasso sank into a severe depression[4]and blue tones began to dominate his paintings.

Picasso's career had been promising before 1901 However, as he moved towards subject matter such as society's poor and outcast, and accented this with a cool, anguished mood with blue hues, the critics and the public turned away from his works.

Psychological properties of colours:

Red: Courage, Strength, Warmth, Energy, 'Fight or Flight

Blue: Intelligence, communication, trust, efficiency, serenity, duty, logic, coolness

Yellow: Optimism, confidence, self-esteem, Irrationality, fear, emotional fragility

Green: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, Boredom, stagnation, blandness

Violet: Spiritual awareness, containment, vision, Introversion, decadence, suppression

Orange: Physical comfort, food, warmth, Deprivation, frustration, frivolity

Pink: Physical tranquillity, nurture, warmth, Inhibition, emotional claustrophobia

Grey: Psychological neutrality, Lack of confidence, dampness, depression

Black: Sophistication, glamour, security, Oppression, coldness, menace

White: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, Sterility, coldness, barriers

Brown: Seriousness, warmth, Nature, Lack of humour, heaviness, lack of sophistication

Colours:

Analogous colours: colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour wheel, e.g. yellow and

green

Analogous colours next to each other on the colour wheel "get along" and are referred to as

being harmonious. Analogous colours are often used in visual design and have a soothing affect.

Complementing colours:


Complementary colours are opposite to each other onthe colour wheel, e.g. Blueviolet
and yellow, represent
colours positioned across from
each other on the colour
wheel.
Complimentary colours exhibit more contrast when positioned adjacent to each other -for
example yellow appears more intense when positioned on or beside blue or violet