Color is a key element of art as it expresses emotion. A key feature in attracting a viewer is the method by which an artist appeals to the emotion of the audience. An energized scene of bold warm hues of the Fauves (like that of Derain's The Turning Road at L'Estaque, 1906) can excite a viewer while a the calm warm hues of Impressionist work (like Monet's Water Lilies, 1916) can elicit a feeling of serenity.
Colors are key to eliciting not only an emotional but also an intellectual response from the viewer. An artist can cause a viewer to look twice at an artwork by distorting teh colors used. Derain's Three Trees (1906) used unusual colors for natural elements to get viewers to stop and look at nature. The distortion visibly encourages viewers to stop and think about what they see from day to day. When they see nature in an unnatural manner, they start to look at nature again, rather than take it for granted, like wallpaper.
As one moves into the Renaissance and beyond, color psychology is important to consider. Red is considered a power color. How often have you noticed men wearing red ties for important business meetings and Tiger Woods wearing a red shirt for the final round of a tournament? It provides the viewer with subtle hints as to what artists made certain choices in their work. Color sends a message! Follow the link to read more about color theory.
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