How Colors Effect Emotions

1. Colors effect emotions in many different ways. Most of our responses to color are transmitted by our brain. Something that is majorly contrasted catches our eye quickly because it is ‘loud.’ It draws attention to the viewer because there is a difference and two or more parts of a work are standing out, against each other. Warm colors may have a more positive response with some people because when using temperature, people often think weather, and many people like warm weather. I, however, like the winter, and love to see cool colors being used in paintings. This is a response I am having based on what colors have meant to me in the past, before I saw the painting. Most people are also drawn to stronger colors such as neon because they are emphasized with their brightness.

2.The aspect that most intrigues me is how our minds place color with certain objects, and that is how we feel they should be. When those things are not the colors they should be, we begin to become confused and think something is wrong with them. On the website when I was experiencing with the emotional responses and flipping through the pictures, the thing that really got me was the blue pasts. I did feel weird about it because it was something so out of my normal. It definitely provoked an emotional response out of me, and I think it is crazy how just a simple color change can do that.

3. With the Color Video, I realized that what anyone feels about color is based on who they are. Not everyone will feel the same about a color or a work of art, it is all personal. When the woman decided to paint her painting in the beginning of the video, she talked about how she liked the colors and there were a nice combination of them and it felt calm and peaceful to her. To me, the spot looked dull. Maybe if it had meant something to me or if it had reminded me of something that was important to me, I would have felt differently about it. Or, perhaps, if I were there in person and not just through a video. I do believe that certain colors give almost everyone a general sense of feeling. Like for example, light pastels and earth tones are pretty calming and I think most people would agree that they are more calming then say hot pink.

4. The paintings in the Feelings video, some that I have personally seen at the Louvre, are more or less defined by their color. The royalty are in lighter colors and the more plain people, per say, are in darker colors and less flashy outfits. When seeing these works you can get the feeling of importance and power just by looking at the clothing of the royalty. By looking at the clothing in the painting of that of the Mona Lisa, you get a more natural feeling and a more calm sense because her clothes are not covered in shiny accessories. You also get the feel of mystery, because she does not wear who she is on her sleeve, but just gives her artist a slight smile.