Role of Colour in Painting
In
keeping with its status as one of the leading "visual" arts, a
Painting is heavily dependent upon the use of colour for its impact, mood and
depth. The impact of colour on the visual senses of the viewer is extremely
potent and even one tiny dab of brightly coloured pigment in an otherwise
monochromatic picture can transform the work.
With the invention
of oil painting in Europe during the early 15th century,
which greatly improved the colour luminosity and richness achievable by both
tempera on wood panels and fresco mural painting,
the practice of colour painting took a significant leap forward.
Artists choose colors to
produce a certain mood or atmosphere; to create space, light, and shadow; or to
introduce symbolic associations.
The effects of colour
can be purely optical (eg. draws the viewer's eye), emotional (eg. cool colours
like blue or green have a calming effect, while red or yellow are more
stimulating to the senses), or aesthetic (eg. the beauty that springs from the
juxtaposition of two or more harmonious colours), to name but three. In keeping
with the principles of colour theory and the layout of the colour-wheel, all
these effects on the viewer will also vary according to the combination of hues
(actual colours) present, their luminosity (the degree of light or dark they
possess) and chroma (the purity of the hue). In addition, a colour's impact
varies according to its neighbouring colours on the canvas. A grey surrounded
by blue will appear cool, while grey surrounded by yellow appears warm. A final
influence on how colour is perceived is the overall range of tones present in
the painting - known sometimes as the tonal key. A dab of (say) yellow on a
canvas with an overall low (dark) tonal key will have different impact than in
one with a high tonal key.
India has always been
exalted and remembered fondly as the country of colors. To an outsider, its
colorful culture, streets, and stories seem like a page out of an ancient folk
tale. But color, in essence, has been a large part of the Indian consciousness
as also of the Anyahh ethos.
At Anyahh, we celebrate
Indian art, which has always been very vibrant in colour. Take a look at Indian
miniature art to the contemporary art of today. Colour plays an avid role,
mainly depicting bright colours, keeping tones of grey out. Even art
merchandise, now becoming increasingly popular, adds a dash of colour to any
space and is in vogue.
-Mandira Sanghi
Artist and Art Columnist
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