Chapter 5:
Colors & Light
Created by: Tyler & Sarah
Concepts
 Hues & Colors (General)
 Warm/Cool Colors (Van Gogh – Crows over a
Wheatfield, Georges Seurat – Sunday Afternoon on the
Island of La Grande Jatte)
 Value & Intensity (Artemisia Gentileschi - Judith
Beheading Holofernes)
 Light (Gianlorenzo Bernini - The Ecstasy of St. Teresa)
 Overview – Analysis (Michelangelo Merisi da
Caravaggio - Sacrifice of Isaac)
Color Wheel
Primary Colors
Red
Yellow
Blue
Secondary Colors
Primary + primary
ie. orange,
green, & violet Tertiary Colors
Primary+secondary
ie. blue-green
Hues
Hues
Difficult to make portraits w/o hues
Bernini Quote (white)
ie. Marble  unlimited range of
hues (w)
Crows over a Wheatfield
Vincent Van Gogh
1890
-Emotional Disturbance
-colors = opposite ends of
the color wheel put side by side
-used to unify colors that
are separated by the horizon line
-blue sky & immediate
change to yellow grassy borders
= dramatic (crows fly across the
entire picture from one setting
to the next)
-Impastoed – unrelenting
urgency and passion of thick
build up colors from opposite
ends of the color chart are used
to unify the colors above and
below horizon line
The Non-Designer’s Design Book
 Crows over a Wheatfield
 Contrast
 Between the sky and wheat field as well as between
the blue sky and black crows
 Alignment and Proximity
 Strokes on “sky” portion are like this “\”, while some of
the strokes on the bottom “wheat field” are like this
“/”. Some strokes on the wheat field portion of the
painting are also like this “\.” This defines the line
between the wheat field and the sky as well as shows
some continuity between the two.
Sunday Afternoon on
the Island of La
Grande Jatte
Warm & Cool Colors
-Serenity and Balance
-optical coloration
-producing a mix of colors to
set the moods between light
and dark
-dots of warm amongst cooler
colors = created different
intensities as opposed to one
huge blob of color verse
another
-color & light used to
differentiate tones
Georges Seurat
1884-1886
The Non-Designer’s Design Book
 Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
 Contrast
 Contrast in color between the water and land
 Contrast between the “shaded” or “darker” area of the
grass and the lighter part
 Repetition (with Variation)
 Umbrellas are commonly used throughout the piece.
 The red umbrellas are used in the “sunny” or well-lit
area of the piece, the blue umbrella is used while the
person is sitting between the dark and light, and the
person in the dark area is using a black umbrellas.
 There is a clear division in the “sections” of this
painting. The umbrellas tie the whole piece together,
while variations in lighting, color, and mood are
portrayed.
Value & Intensity
Judith Beheading
Holofernes
Artemisia
Gentileschi
c. 1630
Judith Beheading Holofernes
Analysis
 Value – L/D
 red (blood, velvet sheet, etc.)
 Intensity
 AKA saturation/chroma
 Brightness/dullness
 Dull red, brighter whites
The Non-Designer’s Design Book
 Judith Beheading Holofernes
 Contrast

The color of the blood and the velvet sheet contrast against the
color of the people’s skin.
 Alignment
 The alignment of the mattresses and the fact that they are
stacked makes the observer believe that the man was
comfortable, but oddly enough, being beheaded on a place that is
usually associated with comfort. The leftmost woman in the
picture is aligning her eyes with the line of the blade, which
follows to the man’s neck.
 Proximity
 The subjects in the picture are very close to each other. It
appears that the man and the woman directly above him are not
strangers. His hand is at her chin, which shows possible
affection, but at the same time, one of her hands is holding him
down as the other woman beheads him.
The Ecstasy of St. Teresa
 Drapery
 Portrays spiritual vision
Gianlorenzo Bernini
1645~1652
 Baroque – 17th century
 Lights and darks
 emotion
 Autobiography – St. Teresa
 “…an angel appeared to her. In his
hands the angel held a golden spear
with a point of fire at the tip.” (113)
 Light = 3 dimensionality
 Robe (weight)  folds in the dress
 Calm - dress
The Non-Designer’s Design Book
 The Ecstasy of St. Teresa
 Repetition
 The shape of the clothing on the angel closely
resembles that of the woman.
 Alignment
 The rocks beneath the angel and the woman blend
with the robes but at the same time the texture of the
rocks shows that there are a beginning and ending.
 Proximity
 “When several items are in close proximity to each
other, they become one visual unit rather than several
separate units.” (13) The angel and the woman are
very close, suggesting an intimate atmosphere.
Sacrifice of Isaac
Michaelangelo Merisi da
Caravaggio
-uses light to “distinguish” one
concept from another
-ie. By brightening certain
variations of the picture, that
Caravaggio wants you (the
viewer) to realize.
-As a viewer, Caravaggio uses
light to make your eyes focus
on that particular area.
-light is coming from the angel
-Symbolizes pureness and
gratitude (angel’s vibe)
1600s
The Non-Designer’s Design Book
 Sacrifice of Isaac
 Contrast
 The red robe that the man with the knife is wearing
contrasts with the skin of the man he is trying to kill.
 There is a “line of light” that your eyes follow, from the
angel on the left down to the man lying down.
 Eyes are drawn toward the sky, which is blue but is slowly
being filled with clouds and darkness, perhaps signaling
that the person on the left without the knife is running
out of time to save the man lying down.
 Proximity
 The person who is trying to save the man’s life is staying
close enough to reach the killer’s hand but not close
enough to possibly be hurt by the knife.
The Non-Designer’s Design Book
 Williams, Robin. The Non-Designer's Design Book
Third Edition: Design and Typographic Principles
for the Visual Novice. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit,
2008. Print.
Images

http://www.1.bp.blogspot.com/_RGxYcgLRQRc/R5ln0SFgggI/AAAAAAAA
AJQ/QDUsObAN90Q/s400/Judith+Beheading+Holofernes-1.jpg

http://www.1.bp.blogspot.com/UPuL6zT9iic/TjgfJEdTQaI/AAAAAAAAAQM/InOC3zbu2w/s1600/Ecstacy_of_StTheresa.JPG

http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/assets/aa_image/700/1/8/c/8/18c
8ee9227242a4e1f2506da0300ee9d34f3d515.jpg

http://www.traditionalchristianity.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/seurat-asunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte.jpg

http://www.traditionalchristianity.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/seurat-asunday-afternoon-on-the-island-of-la-grande-jatte.jpg

http://www.wilsonpictureframes.com/VanGogh/vg4B.jpg