Artists and Colors

'Houses in Murnau'

Artists turn colors into their own color scheme so much so that you recognize an artist’s work by the colors used in their paintings. Let’s see what artists have to say about their relationship to color. Wassily Kandinsky: ”COLOR IS A POWER WHICH DIRECTLY INFLUENCES THE SOUL.”

'Bridge over Water Lilies'

Claude Monet on his relationship with color: “COLOR IS MY DAY-LONG OBSESSION, JOY AND TORMENT” In case you thought being an artist is all fun and games.

'My parents'

David Hockney: “I PREFER LIVING IN COLOR”

'I've Read the Past, I've Seen the Present, I Believe in the Future'

Artist Rossella BLUE Mocerino was once asked: "Your name BLUE indicates a love of color, which is very evident in your work and style. Can you describe your relationship to color?" She replied: "I CAN'T IMAGINE A WORLD WITHOUT COLOR. It would be a very dull place indeed. I find that each color comes with its own characteristics. When I work with red, I feel the intensity and passion inherent in it. On the other hand, when I work with gold, I feel the heaviness of it and so on. I like strong, bold colors. I have a strong dislike of pastel colors. They will never find their way into my paintings."

'Grey Lines with Black, Blue and Yellow, 1923'

Georgia O’Keeffe: “I FOUND I COULD SAY THINGS WITH COLOR AND SHAPES THAT I COULDN’T SAY ANY OTHER WAY - things I had no words for.”

'Portrait of Woman with Hat'

Pablo Picasso: “WHY DO TWO COLORS , PUT ONE NEXT TO THE OTHER SING? Can one really explain this? No. Just as one can never learn how to paint.”

'Night Flight #1'

Louise Nevelson: “I FELL IN LOVE WITH BLACK; it contained all color. It wasn’t a negation of color . . . Black is the most aristocratic color of all . . .”

Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 (Portrait of Homer's Mother) by James McNeill Whistler

Winslow Homer: “A BLACK AND WHITE, IF PROPERLY BALANCED, SUGGESTS COLOR."

'Reclining Tahitian Women'

Paul Gauguin: “COLOR! WHAT A DEEP AND MYSTERIOUS LANGUAGE, THE LANGUAGE OF DREAMS.”

'The Blue Code'

Artist Rossella BLUE Mocerino on WHY BLUE? Although I paint with different colors, blue is the only color I wear. In the art world, you will find that the color artists wear at openings is black so I started to wear blue as sort of a rebellion against that rule. Soon enough though I found I lived very well in blue and that it started to shape who I am. I am very well at home in my blue life. Recently, I have adopted BLUE as my professional name.

'Study from the Human Body 1983'

When I saw the Francis Bacon exhibition in Paris in January 2020, my first impression was to notice the vibrancy of the colors he used. On closer look, I saw the somber subject matter he depicts. This is the message I got from the Francis Bacon show at Centre Pompidou. Life does bang you up a bit. But still . . . LIFE HAS TO BE LIVED IN TECHNICOLOR.