Basic of Art

First of all, I would like to say, everything I write and share here is MY PERSONAL OPINIONS, my personal experiences and personal thoughts. So you can accept or reject them. Feel free to share your own view! Also please excuse my poor english and my typping mistakes. Ok, let’s start this topic by introducing some important things in Visual Arts, in Photography.

Ok, let’s start this topic by introducing some important things in Visual Arts, in Photography.

1- Human Brain and Human Eye System
2- Light
3- Color
4- Composition
5- Harmony

3- Color

In this topic I don’t want to repeat usual words about colors or copy-paste some texts from other resources. As always I have different ideas about everything!, in this topic I will share my theories about colors.

What is different in my idea is brain conditioning during human evolution. Yeh, I know, I’m philosopher too! However, it’s my idea, or better to say, it’s may possible. I’m not a doctor or psychologist and I hadn’t any laboratory research regarding this subject, only I want share what I think.

As you may know and read, colors effect human brain and human feelings! Most of people think Red is a color that takes more attention or transfers meaning of Danger to viewers. Look what I found on the net:

Black - Evil, falsehood, error, grief, despair, death.
Gray - Formal, conservative
Blue - Chastity, loyalty, fidelity, faith, modesty, eternity, immortality.
Green - Love, joy, abundance, hope, youth, mirth, gladness, resurrection, spring.
Purple - Temperance, royalty
Red - Magnanimity, fortitude
White - Purity, truth, innocence, hope.
Brown - Wholesomeness, earthiness
Beige - Conservative, relaxing
Orange - Energy, spontaneity
Yellow - Faith, constancy, wisdom, glory, jealousy, inconsistency.

and Meaning of color in ART!

Black - evil, falsehood
Blue - modesty, fidelity
Green - hope, joy, youth, victory
Purple -royalty
Red - passion
White - purity
Yellow - jealousy, betrayal

You can find lot of these meanings created by people! Most of people agreed that Red has meanings like: Passion, Attention, Alert, Sin, Guilt, Anger, Blood, Sex and so on. Also scientists tell us red is most attractive color for human bran and human eye.

Why RED has such meanings?!

In the process of time these meaning fixed in our brain. If now our brain or human eye is more sensitive to the red maybe because blood is red. When someone is angry and his/her face became red because blood pressure! So connection between Red and Anger in social meaning is because the color of blood. And connection between Red and Danger, Alert, Sin, Devil and even Sex is because the same reason. From the beginning till now, first sex experience has been bloody, when animals and human had fight the result was bloody! Fight between humans and animals – human and human and Killing each other created meaning of Sin, Devil, Guilt, Danger and so on, and all of them is because “blood”.

image by: Anna Ignatieva

Human and Nature CREATED these meanings, then our brain adapted to these meaning. or it’s better to say meanings CONFIGURE our brain! Meanings are our experiences. I like to add, colors have different and even opposite meanings in different cultures and different area. Meanings have direct connection with geography. Think about this.

Ok, now, let me explain this subject by another example, another color. Green, Green is equal of Life, Peace, Safe, Abundance, Spring, Nature and so on. Now, suppose blood was green and grass and trees were red!, just suppose, imagine, then think.

I don’t talk about all colors, these two colors were just example for you, you should think about this subject by yourself, if you are interesting on visual arts.

When human can’t see all available colors in nature, when what we see is not truth, and when all meanings and what we thing is because data we transfer to brain by our sense and they are not perfect, it’s very funny we assign a meaning to a color or anything else.

By: Reza Shadpay