Student 13 Exam I Fall 2000

Color is defined as six different wavelengths of light. There are six categories of color that can be seen on the color wheel. Complimentary colors are those directly across from each other. Primary colors are the colors red, blue, and yellow. Secondary colors are made by combining two primary colors and tertiary colors are made by combining a primary color with an adjacent secondary color. Analogous colors are those beside each other and a triad is a group of three colors, with one or two colors skipped. Am example of a triad is the colors orange, yellow, and yellow-green. Color can convey many feelings, such as sadness and happiness. Hildegard of Bingen, the Yoruban bead work and music all convey feelings throung the color and "color" affects used.

Hildegard of Bingen was a woman of the 12th century. She was a writer, a poet, healer, theologian, and a visionary. She founded two monasteries in her lifetime. Hildegard had visions since the age of five, but she was not told to write them until her 40s. Hildegard used many vibrant colors in her work. She did this because, as she said, "Divine illumination is vibrant, strong, and full of life." In her work "The Cosmic Egg," she used lots of reds, blues, and oranges. These are complementary colors. They convey a sense of restlessness. Hildegard intended for this to show life as vibrant, creative, and full. In another of Hildegard's works, "The Man in Sapphire Blue," she also used the color blue. This was a different kind of blue -- it was soothing and maternal. The man was Jesus so this showed a maternal side of him. Hildegard was successful in conveying feelings through her colors.

The Yoruban people are from West Africa. They feel that their bead work is not just "work;" it is religious and worshipping. When one was doing beadwork, you were bringing these discreet objects together to make something beautiful and significant. The Yorubans had three different categories of color. Fun-fun literally translates into "white." It includes the colors blue, silver, and chrome. It represents a person who is icy, cool , and aloof. Pupa literally translates into "red' and includes oranges, yellows, and golds. It represents a hot, fiery passionate person. Dudu is the last category. It translates into "black" and includes browns and leafy greens. It represents a practical, down-to-earth person. The interlocking design was also important to the Yorubans. It signified a perfection between the spiritual and the physical world. Once an object had beads, it was considered sacred. As you can see, the Yorubans were also successful in conveying feelings through their colors.

Music is another way to show color affects. In music, there are many types of categories. Consonance in music can be compared with analogous colors in the visual arts. The result is very soothing. An example of consonance are the notes E,G,B. Dissonance is the opposite. It can be compared to complimentary colors. It creates a very restless feeling. An example of dissonance are the notes E,F,and G. Major and minor tonality are also very important. Major tonality is like consonance, or analogous colors. It creates a soothing feeling. An example of major tonality is Chopin's Harp Etude. Minor tonality is like dissonance or complementary colors. It creates a feeling of nervousness or restlessness. An example of minor tonality is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Dynamics can also be used in music. Whether the piece of music is loud or soft can convey a feeling. Loudness conveys a sense of red, or bright colors, jumping out. An example is Lizst's Concerto. Softness conveys a sense of white or soft colors. An example of softness is Chopin's Nocturne. Although one would not think so, music can convey a sense of color.

Lines can also contribute to the use of color in worlds of art or music. There are four different types of lines. Short choppy lines are used to represent a feelinmg of nervousness. Wavy lines are used to convey a sense of restlessness. Diagonal lines represent a sense of tension and horizontal lines convey a sense of relaxation.

In Hildegard's work, she used many different lines. In "the cosmic egg" she uses wavy lines to convey the sense of restlessness and action, which is the same as the colors she uses. In "The Man in Sapphire Blue," she uses lots of wavy lines again. These lines can be compared to the colors she uses. The complimentary colors convey the sense of restlessness.

The Yorubans would he had all horizontal lines because when they made the objects with beads, it formed a straight line.

In music, lines are also used. Short, choppy lines can be compared to staccato notes. An example is Brahms op.76 no. 2. Diagonal lines are the same in music. They can be seen in the same way. An example is Liszt's Concerto no. 1. Horizontal lines are equal to a chant in music. An example is the Gregorian chant.

Color has many different use. In the early days, people would "read" paintings and art because they couldn't read or write. The purpose of color is to convey feelings. Different colors and combinations are used to convey different feelings. Even music has a "color".

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