Color Theory Abstract Painting

An artist asked me recently about color secrets in abstract painting and how i think about and work with color.

Color theory abstract painting. Color field painting is a style of abstract painting that emerged in new york city during the 1940s and 1950s. Color theory is a body of principles which provide guidance on the relationship between colors and the physiological impacts of certain color combinations. We begin with a 3 part color wheel. The composition was simply a vehicle to assist with the realization of this surface structure of pattern and color.

When you put all colors in an orderly row flowing into each other like a rainbow they form a circle like the color wheel on the right. There are also definitions or categories of colors based on the color wheel. I find that when i begin a discussion about utilizing the color wheel to develop color harmonies in paintings i receive lots of blank looks on students faces. In traditional color theory used in paint and pigments primary colors are the 3 pigment colors that cannot be mixed or formed by any combination of other colors.

Keenness about these tips and ideas for abstract painting is obvious and it is best to read a good and apt content before you throw colors on canvas. As an artist you do not need to worry yourself about all the complex underlying principles of color theory. I have come to realize that nearly all amateur painters paint from photographs trying to. James mcneil whistler 1834 1903.

No doubt creativity flows in every color that you fill in and every design you make in you abstract painting. German expressionism is characterized by its saturated palette and the colors correspondence to human emotions. The color you get by mixing two primaries is between them red and yellow make orange red and blue make purple and yellow and blue make green. The importance of understanding color theory far exceeds simply knowing how to mix colors together for example knowing that yellow and blue make green.

In the beginning of my painting journey i couldnt wait to get into my studio and use bright vibrant colors. Paul cezanne called his paintings constructions after nature. The complementary color of a primary color is the color opposite it green is the complementary of red orange for blue and purple for yellow. It was inspired by european modernism and closely related to abstract expressionism while many of its notable early proponents were among the pioneering abstract expressionists.

Color is an enormous topic and one you can spend a lifetime exploring and never reach the end of it. Color theory is one of the most fundamental areas of painting. I teach painting workshops all across the country. Most color theory is about the color wheel.

German expressionism painter wassily kandinsky is often considered the first true abstract artist. But this is an abstraction a scheme its a handy tool to create some order in the color chaos not the ultimate truth.