Color: Hook, Line & Sinker

Do you ever wonder why you like the things you do?

What is it that makes the hardback Pride & Prejudice your favorite copy? Is it the cover art? The fact that it’s hardback and not paperback? Or maybe because it’s your favorite Jane Austen story?

This same line of questioning can be applied to your taste in art. Similar to your favorite book or outfit, we are drawn to certain qualities. These qualities are what we look for and admire in an artwork, we judge based on the presence or lack within the piece before us.

One way to go about discovering what draws you in, what you look for, and what you want is by following The Elements of Art:

-Line

-Shape

-Texture

-Space

-Color

Although, there is no universal list of elements, these 5 are the foundation. By zeroing in on one, you may discover what pleases your eye, what you find aesthetically pleasing. For me it’s color. Bold, vibrant colors are the first thing to catch my eye. I do enjoy black and white pieces from photography to drawing, but my favorite element is by far color.

Let’s break it down further. Color is the rainbow, or the visible light spectrum, including black and white. We can then isolate color schemes, such as:

-Primary colors (red, yellow, blue)

-Secondary colors (orange, green, violet)

-Warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows)

-Cool colors (greens, blues, and violet)

-Complementary (blue & orange, red & green, yellow & violet) 

Having this background information will help you determine which color scheme suits your style. Handy for selecting galleries, to visits in a museum, for selecting accessories to match with your favorite party dress, to picking paint colors for your kitchen. With our knowledge of the element of color, we can go on to discuss one art movement that was obsessed with color: Impressionism.

Starting in Paris, this group of artists began working in the 1860's. Japanese prints were a huge stylist influence, from the flatting of space, to the focus on nature.

Ando Hiroshige, Moon Pine at Ueno from One Hundred Views
of Famous Places in Edo, 1857. Color woodcut.

The Impressionists preferred landscapes, cityscapes, and leisure activities for their subjects. Working outdoors "en plein air," was ideal for capturing the changes in natural light. Color and light were the two main objectives of this movement, shifting away from the realistic renderings of Realism. Heavy brushwork and lots of texture are surface characteristics of this style.

Edgar Degas, is a well known French Impressionist. He fits into the group stylistically, but he did differ in some ways. First, he favored pastels over oil paint. Second, he had different motifs, like animals (particularly horses).

 

Edgar Degas, The Jockey, 1889. Pastel on paper.

Another theme was dancers. Both animals and  dancers captured the idea of motion. Degas was interested in photography and the way the camera could capture a moment of time. He was often seen at local ballets, sketching during practices, in addition to before and after performances. Always working from life. He was a visual artist who used performance art as his subject. When looking at these drawings, you feel transported to the ballet, as though you are on stage.

These depictions of dancers are my favorite of Degas' work. He was not focusing on the dancers themselves, their personalities, or their costumes, but rather on the act of dancing itself. We feel the spins, the turns, the twists of the dancers and the soft strains of the music in the background. Here, our subject is three female ballet dancers. Two figures are facing in our direction and the one in the background is looking to the left. The arms of the dancers lead our eye around the composition. The figure in the foreground is front and center, emphasizing her importance. The background is just color, helping to flatten the space and refocus our view to the dancers. Look at the color. 

Edgar Degas, The Dancers, 1899. Pastel on paper.

Degas uses several color schemes. The figure on the left is outfitted in cool colors like: dark and sky blue, kelly green and hints of lilac. Our main dancer shows off a bright orange and yellow top that fades into a green, blue and orange skirt. In addition to the clothing, the faces work the complementary color scheme as well. The bright blue strengthens the orange brightening the entire composition. Although, it looks hurried and rushed because of the broad lines and blurred texture, this was a labor of love. The same can be said of all Impressionist works. Please do me a favor, if you ever get the opportunity to see a Degas work in person, go for it! You will not regret the experience. This photo gives us a good idea of the animated color scheme, but nothing can compare to seeing with your own eyes.

Armed with your new knowledge about The Elements on Art, see if you can isolate one that you favor above the others. Is there one more important to you? What do you look for in a work of art? What is your favorite attribute? This week I challenge you to uncover your favorite element, and remember, "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."- Edgar Degas

                                                                                                                                                                      ~Samantha