Visual Art: Colour Questions

Colour can affect the way we feel (our emotions and moods).
Chinese Restaurants use red in their décor because it stimulates digestion. Fast Food Restaurants use red because it makes one eat faster and that means they can serve more meals in a day.
Doctors’ waiting rooms are often blue because it has a calming effect. Study nooks or offices can stimulate productivity when blue is used as an accent in the colour scheme.
Babies’ rooms painted in pastel colours make them relax, while bright colours wake them up and stimulate their curiosity. That is why toys are made in bright primary and secondary colours and colourful patterns using the contrasts between black and white.
Rooms painted in pale yellow (often used in old age homes) can be uplifting, but spending too much time there can be exhausting. Yellow is the most difficult colour to see – it uses more cones and rods in our eyes to focus on it. Too much yellow can change our mood from happy to be depressed because our eyes get tired!
Green is the easiest colour to see. It uses few cones and rods in our eyes to see it – especially the purer and bluer greens. It is a calming and restful colour.
Purple is a confusing colour, as it has so many variations - red with white mixes pink, as does mixing purple with white – mauve, lavender and violet are often called pink.
 
Read through the worksheet and underline new and important facts.
Answer the questions, fill/colour in the spaces and complete the exercises.
 
Submit your written answers to the questions in this lesson by no later than 28/04/2023.

 

Lesson Questions

The "Weeping Woman" (by Picasso) has a neutral background. What effect does this have?
 
A. Draws attention to the large face in the foreground.
B. Distracts the viewer's attention because of the contrast.
C. Focuses attention on the sadness and anguish expressed in the use of colour in her face.

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The vibrant red of her hat above the dirty greens and yellows of her features tells us that the "Weeping Woman" feels terrible grief. This is further emphasised by the use of blue and purple. Discuss this statement. (5 marks)

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The various oranges and blues in the Matisse ("Woman with the Hat, Paris") seem to be vibrating within the image and drawing attention to the elements of the subject. This is because the artist used:
 
A. Complementary colours.
B. Warm and Cool colours together.
C. Dark and Light colours.

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In Chagall's "Les Amants Sur Le Toit" the kiss is passionate, yet sad. Why?
 
A. Monochromatic blues in this picture makes the viewer feel cold, like winter.
B. Blue is associated with sadness and they are saying goodbye.
C. They are floating in the air and when the spell breaks, they are going to fall.

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Cezanne creates a landscape in diffuse blues and oranges. What season is it? Motivate your answer. (5 marks)

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Compare the two Picasso paintings.
How does Picasso show that the woman in "Femme Allongée Lisant (Marie-Thérèse)" feels different emotions to the "Weeping Woman"? (5 marks)

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When one looks at the sun in Monet's sunrise over the cranes in Le Harvre it almost seems as if the light on the water is dancing. In reality the sun would be brighter than the clouds, but by not painting it realistically, the artist creates an eerie feel in this scene. Left with only the contrast of light and shadow we can prove this eeriness because:
 
A. The sun and its refection disappears.
B. The three boats appear through the mist and fog more clearly.
C. The clouds are stormier and angrier.

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