Long Island Artists Community - Soak in some pure color for “Instant Therapy”

With all the news about uncertain economic conditions flooding our consciousness it might be useful to think about something beyond our day to day material existence. What is it about a work of art that distinguishes it from a pure commodity? When we are touched by a work of art, it has nothing to do with the price. Good art sets the viewer off on an experience, an unknown journey. When your vision is sparked and your intelligence is engaged, time is suspended and you are in the moment!

One powerful way to access the force of art is through color. Most people have strong affinities for a particular group of colors. Perhaps you are drawn toward the earth tones of warm brown umber, yellow ochre or a reddish burnt sienna, somehow you are always pulled toward those hues. Or maybe ultramarine blue, soft cerulean sky blue and pale turquoise give you the sensations you crave. Maybe today you need lavender, deep purple or rose pink to lift your spirits.

I’ve often wondered how our color affinities develop. Do we hunger after colors that we are familiar with rooted in what we were exposed to as children? Maybe your color sense was influenced by your first set of Crayola Crayons? For me it was the large 64 count that held the gorgeous sophisticated shades of periwinkle, cobalt blue, aquamarine and magenta. These are some of colors that I still gravitate toward in my own paintings and that interest me in the works of others. They fascinate me because these colors are combinations of pigments that innately resonate with a particular quality of transparency, vibration, saturation and complexity.

Casey Chalem Anderson “Scarlet Pinks Ablaze”
24 x 36 oil/canvas

Why do some colors hold the emotional, spiritual and psychological tonics that we desire like cravings for sweets or salt? Wassily Kandinsky, the great pioneering Russian abstract artist believed that pure color could free man from his obsession with material things and provide spiritual awakening. Perhaps we need certain colors in our lives at particular times to satisfy intangible needs; something akin to having a yen for a steak, some chocolate, or a salad.

In a painting color plays a complex role. So many factors determine the effect on the viewer, and who knows if we experience exactly the same visual impressions as our neighbors. Certain aspects can be looked for to enhance your intuitive response to a painting.

Consider just how the paint is applied on to the canvas; is it opaque (thick and dense) or translucent (thin and transparent with the canvas underneath reflecting back). A color’s vibrancy will be affected by just how the brushstrokes are applied. Colors that are mixtures (combinations of more than one pigment) are generally less vibrant but have important roles to play to create mood.

Mark Rothko "No. 61 (Rust and Blue)" 1953

Mark Rothko’s paintings radiate with color, the pigments enhanced by the nature of his blurry and softly blended brushstrokes that make the shapes appear to float.

The clear brilliance of the blue in the midsection owes its impact to the contrasting surrounding layers of dark and muted wine color. A viewer can sink into the sensation of twilight advancing.

Henri Matisse - "Interior at Collioure" -
(1905) - oil /canvas

Consider the Henri Matisse painting where the amount of space that the color is contained in, or just how much of the color is used relative to the other colors used in the painting also determines our innate personal reaction.

The jolt of magenta in the right corner adjacent to the bright tangerine of the door is balanced by the cool greens and blues of the left-hand wall. The use of dark green/blue over the window signals that we are inside a room looking out on the shimmering view.

Richard Diebenkorn "Ocean Park 54 "
100" x 81" oil/ canvas 1972

Here in Richard Diebenkorn’s painting the layers of color are built up by alternating opaque paint (achieved with the addition of white) and then overlaid with transparent glazes all bordered within geometric lines. Some colors and therefore sensations can only be achieved by mixing pigments right on the canvas blending and overlaying them.

Keep in mind that viewing images on a flat screen or in a book changes the sensation that you would receive if you were there experiencing the actual painting. Try to get out and have a look at the real thing if at all possible. Not only will you experience the force of the genuine pigments but the impact of the size of the artwork in relation to your body can have an enormous influence on your reaction!

Until next time,

Casey

Casey Chalem Anderson is a painter/instructor who resides in the Hamptons on the east end of Long Island, New York.

Please visit my web site to view paintings, prints, info on art workshops: www.CaseyArt.com

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