The theme of this exhibit has a general and broad reaching title “The Color of Light” leaving it wide open for many interpretations and creative results. It could be taken, literally, technically, figuratively, abstractly, allegorically, metaphorically, or symbolically. Or it can have a very personal meaning from your own life experience.
Technically artists have been responding to light and shadow in their art making for ages. The Impressionists for example leaned heavily on capturing light and atmosphere in their approach to color, color palette, broken brushstroke, optical color mixing, every day subject matter, etc. One of the many lessons one can learn from the impressionists is how they painted white in light. Study Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol” her white dress is painted in a high key tint combination using all three primaries to produce the effect of white in light.
Caravaggio was a master of light within dark using the manipulation of chiaroscuro known as tenebrism to model his subjects and create a dramatic spot light effect on his subject(s) that often relayed a biblical story. His color use was very tonal.
Josef Albers used squares of color like “nesting dolls” in his series of abstract paintings entitled “Homage to the Square” experimenting with: warm, cool, dull, bright, dark, and light colors and components of color to express a variety of qualities and interactions of color and light.
Hans Hoffman was another abstract painter who used color in a way that created space and depth on a flat 2D canvas surface, expressing how cool and dull colors tend to appear to recede into space and bright and warm colors tend to appear to move forward. He created the illusion of 3D space, light and dark on canvas, creating a personal world of color, light and space.
Have fun, learn from the masters or interpret your own use of color in light!
Maura Kenny
You can learn more about Maura and view her work on her website---www.maurakenny.com
Technically artists have been responding to light and shadow in their art making for ages. The Impressionists for example leaned heavily on capturing light and atmosphere in their approach to color, color palette, broken brushstroke, optical color mixing, every day subject matter, etc. One of the many lessons one can learn from the impressionists is how they painted white in light. Study Monet’s “Woman with a Parasol” her white dress is painted in a high key tint combination using all three primaries to produce the effect of white in light.
Caravaggio was a master of light within dark using the manipulation of chiaroscuro known as tenebrism to model his subjects and create a dramatic spot light effect on his subject(s) that often relayed a biblical story. His color use was very tonal.
Josef Albers used squares of color like “nesting dolls” in his series of abstract paintings entitled “Homage to the Square” experimenting with: warm, cool, dull, bright, dark, and light colors and components of color to express a variety of qualities and interactions of color and light.
Hans Hoffman was another abstract painter who used color in a way that created space and depth on a flat 2D canvas surface, expressing how cool and dull colors tend to appear to recede into space and bright and warm colors tend to appear to move forward. He created the illusion of 3D space, light and dark on canvas, creating a personal world of color, light and space.
Have fun, learn from the masters or interpret your own use of color in light!
Maura Kenny
You can learn more about Maura and view her work on her website---www.maurakenny.com
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