Color Psychology: Part 2
The Interpretation and Emotional Effects of Colors
By Andrea Steinbauer
In Part 1 of the article about Color Psychology, we mainly focused on examining the emotional effects of warm colors. Now we will take a closer look on the subconscious impact of cool and neutral colors in Part 2.
Violet
Spiritual - Mysterious - Noble
Violet is a color full of contrasts; it can appear both soft, like a pastel, or vividly bright. It combines warm, passionate red with cool, calm blue, just as it brings together light and darkness. For this reason, violet is considered the color of the spiritual and the enigmatic, surrounded by an aura of mystery. These distinctive emotional qualities make it an interesting color to use in fine art, too. In the old days, violet was reserved as a clothing color for the nobility and the clergy; it was considered an aristocratic color and is associated with luxury and wealth.
Blue
Calm - Harmony - Contentment
Blue is the color of the sky and the sea; it is the most popular color worldwide and has a remarkable effect on human well-being. The color has a calming and harmonizing effect, promotes contentment, and instills confidence. These positive qualities are of particular importance in psychology and used for therapeutic purposes. Blue also plays a special role in art; learn more about this in the February blog article The Magic of the Color Blue in Art.
Green
Hope - Growth - Vitality
As a mixture of yellow and blue, the color green embodies joy, harmony, and calm; it invigorates and relaxes, giving it a particularly positive psychological effect. Green symbolizes growth, fertility, and development—whether in humans or animals, in nature, or even in ideas. This life-affirming color represents hope and vitality, can stimulate the release of happiness hormones in the brain, and it touches and inspires the soul. We feel at ease in nature’s green surroundings, whose effects are even attributed with healing powers. In the 12th century, the well-known Benedictine abbess and polymath Hildegard von Bingen wrote: “There is a power from eternity—the color green.”
Brown
Stability - Reliability - Earthiness
Brown is the color of the earth and thus conveys steadiness, stability, and a connection to nature. It is also associated with reliability, security, and comfort. Being used since prehistoric times, brown pigments have a long tradition in fine art. They were popular amongst old masters like DaVinci, Raphael, Caravaggio, Rembrandt and van Dyck. Using brown shades such as Umber, Sepia, or Mars brown, can give a painting a classical impression and works well to create a low key composition. However, to some people, brown can also seem old-fashioned or heavy.
White
Innocence - Purity - Cleanness
White is the color of light; it is considered a symbol of the good—the opposite to gloomy black. Since nothing shines brighter than white light, it represents the divine in Christian religion and also symbolizes the innocence and purity of the Virgin Mary, often depicted through white cloth or lilies. Furthermore, the color is associated with cleanness, perfection, truth, and peace.
Black
Grief - Gloom - Formal
Black is the darkest shade of color and based on the absence of light. As the color of darkness, it appears threatening and dramatic to us; it represents death and mourning and is regarded as a hallmark of evil—the negative counterpart to good, innocent white. Since people often feel helpless and vulnerable in a dark, lightless environment, this evokes a sense of insecurity and fear. As a neutral color for clothing, black can create distance and serve as a shield against unwanted closeness, while it appears formal and elegant at the same time. In fine art, black works well to design a dark, somber or melancholic mood and is well suited to serve as a visual element in planning an artwork’s value concept by creating strong contrast, lowkey composition or dark accents.
Gray
Neutral - Balance - Timeless
No other color better symbolizes neutrality than gray; it serves as the link between light and dark in a wide range of values. Gray has a harmonizing effect and creates balance while also being considered timeless. A simple shade of gray can express modesty and elegance and conveys a sense of understatement. However, gray is also related to dullness, boringness and indifference. In fine art, the neutral effect of gray can be used to support the composition and story telling, to balance and harmonize the color concept or enhance the visibility of other, more important elements in the artwork.
