Analyzing the Psychological Effect of Color on Response

First, let's read this webpage from the art department at Cornell University . . . and list some of the points we find provoke our thinking of the psychological effects of color on the reader/viewer.

Other things that will be important to our writing analysis:

• proportion of a certain color in painting to other colors
• the "value" of the color --> how dark or light a color is (lighter blue (afternoon sky) to darker blues (midnight's navy))
• the "hue" of a color --> how close the the primary color the color is. In other words, color is more mixed with another primary (like pink, teal or aqua).

Writer to Writer: have fun in clarifying colors--> write to allow your reading audience to visualize the exact value and hue of the color you see in your head.

• What is a "real" object that you often associate with the color? (fire-engine red; school-bus yellow, swamp green, midnight navy, etc.)
• What kind of texture does the color have for you? Is it flat, fuzzy, heavy, light, etc?

Our main goal in doing the activity that follows: to practice articulating (through writing, of course) how the color choice affects our emotional reaction to a painting. We are exploring the connection between our heart and our brain; our feelings and how we create them.

Writing Activity (40 minutes of silent writing! To be handed in)

What is your emotional reaction to Pablo Picasso's "The Old Guitarist"? In writing, analyze your emotional emotional reaction to the piece by focusing on Picasso's use of color. Within your analysis, you will have to describe the focal image, of course, but I want you to explain how Picasso's use of blue helps you come to take meaning away from the painting. Imagine (and discuss) how your emotional reaction might be different if Picasso had used a different color -- like red, yellow, or green.

Be creative in the way you discuss the color, and use the characteristics outlined above (texture, proportion, hue, etc) within your analysis.

Bonus Response (up to 5 pts make-up)

Due: This assignment cannot be turned in later than Tuesday, March 2nd, being bonus and all!

Prompt: Go to the Art Institute of Chicago (there's free admission until the end of February!), and make your way to the Modern Wing. Choose a painting that emotionally and intellectually speaks to you.

What characteristic or characteristics of the painting are causing your emotional reaction? The use of colors (in what way), the proportion of images, the image itself, is there provoking text, the size of the piece, and any other stylistic/artistic choice the painter has seemed to have made. Your guiding principle and thesis should clarify what characteristic is most important to your comprehension of the painting.

Furthermore, work on the accuracy in your description of the painting. The weaker the description of what you see, the weaker the analysis will tend to be. . . . Have fun trying to re-paint the painting, through your words, for your audience!

Out of the five points available, one point is reserved for you taking a picture of the painting (preferably with you in it!) and attaching it to your paper (or e-mailing the pic as an attachment to me by Tuesday's class). Otherwise, the bonus is only worth 4 points maximum.