One
of the most important rules of color temperature is that warm colors protrude (pop
forward) and cool colors recede (fade back). So, if you think about the color
scale, this would mean that red, yellow and orange would surge forward in a
painting as opposed to the cool colors of blue, purple and green which would
make things look like they are further away. That is why cool
colors are used to signify elements in a distance like trees and houses because
it denotes atmosphere between the foreground and the background of a painting.
We
won’t go into a lot of detail about value (light and dark) but I will mention
that the value scale is also used to show how close or further away something is
and that there is a value scale within these temperature groups that will also
intensify atmosphere. The closer something is to us the darker and clearer it
should look and the further away it is the lighter and more diffused it should
be, again signifying more atmosphere. Nothing explains concepts better than
examples so let’s look at a painting by Henri Lebasque titled Blue Mountains in
Cannes.
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| Henri Lebasque |
Starting at the top of the painting, we see the mountains
are painted with cool blues & purples (very gray, meaning lack of color
intensity), showing atmosphere and visually telling the viewer that the
mountains are far away.
Now, here is something interesting. Balconies are usually high, higher
than the landscape below them and in this painting the perspective tells us
that the balcony is indeed very high in the air. Which would mean that the possibility
of having trees right next to the balcony is not impossible but is improbable.
So, let’s focus on the balcony. Look at the first opening to the left. The cool
purple makes it look like whatever you are catching a glimpse of is far away
but look at the other openings to the right of the figure. The dark green is
too dark and not cool enough. Do you see how that green looks like its bursting
through the balcony openings? Now, I am not saying that the great Mr. Henri Lebasque
did not see that intense green on that bright beautiful day in Cannes, but I AM saying that this is a great example of how temperature is important to denote
atmosphere in a painting.
So remember, cool colors
recede, warm colors push forward so the next time you look at a painting notice
how the artist has used temperature to portray atmosphere and mood.
Think Creatively!
