Teaching Activity: Color Impact

intermediate/advanced
A

Read the following excerpt from a letter Van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo about his use of color in a still life.

May 1890

"I am doing...two canvases representing big bunches of violet irises, one lot against a pink background in which the effect is soft and harmonious because of the combination of greens, pinks, violets. On the other hand, the other violet bunch (ranging from carmine to pure Prussian blue) stands out against a startling citron background, with other yellow tones in the vase and the stand on which it rests, so it is an effect of tremendously disparate complementaries, which strengthen each other by their juxtaposition."

Consider the emotional and visual impact of color in a work of art. Study works such as The Harvest and Almond Tree in Blossom. Ask students to create a still life using a palette of pure colors, juxtaposing complementary colors in the foreground and background. What role does color play in determining expressive/emotional character? How would a palette using tints or shades of these pure colors change the painting's expressive qualities?

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