Color has many functions.  Not only is it used in the visual arts, but it is also emphasized in music and in understanding the self.  In the visual arts, color is used to impact the viewer and to make them viewer really feel the art work.  Visual artists use complementary colors to create a very strong affect on the viewer.  These color combinations (green and red, orange and blue, yellow and purple) can be seen in many important artworks throughout history.  A good example of the use of color is the group of illuminations of Hildegard of Bingen.  The "Cosmic Egg" is a great example.  The illumination was meant to show rebirth and renewal in the universe.  The center of the egg is blue (for moisture in the egg).  This color is often used to represent religion.  The outside of the egg is surrounded by gold and orange, the complementary color to blue.  This same set of colors was used in "The Man in Sapphire Blue."  Again, the color blue is used to clothe Christ.  In the circles that surround Christ, there is the color gold.  This color was used to emphasize the power of love in the universe.

 

Color is also used in music, which may seem to be an unlikely place.  Composers use resonance, a soft, harmonious sound, to represent colors such as blues, greens, and purples.  They use dissonance, a sharp, loud sound, to represent bold and complimentary colors.  Beethoven was a master of using color in his music and proved it in his "Appassionata Sonata."  Victor Berlioz also used color in "Fantastic Symphony."  Composers like to use color because it allows the listener to visualize the music and makes the music seem deeper and more passionate to them.

 

Color can also be used to help a person to understand their personality and inner self.  This is the color philosophy of the Yoruba people of West Africa.  This group of people were known for their beautiful bead work.  All of their work was very colorful and very well done.  However, each color that was used had a specific meaning.  In their philosophy, the Yoruba people separated colors into three categories.  The first was "Fun-Fun," or cool colors.  This category consists of white, blue, and silver.  It represents a cool and aloof personality.  The second category is called "Pupa."  It consists of fiery colors, such as red, orange, and dark yellow.  This category represents a very passionate personality, someone who cares deeply about everything.  The last category is "Du-Du."  It is all earthly tones like black, brown, and dark green.  This category represents a very down-to-earth personality.  The Yoruba people believe that color was meant for more than just beauty.  They truly believed that a person could learn a lot about themselves from the colors that they were drawn to.

 

Color is more of a theory than anything else.  It is used in many aspects of art to make a deep and strong impact on the viewer or listener.

 

Group II Essay

 

Art in functionalism serves an important purpose to those that created it. This can be seen all throughout history.  These images that we view as art today may not have been created as art at their origin.  This is the essence of functionalism.

 

The cave art of the Cro Magnon period is a good example of functionalism.  In the cave at Lascaux in France, there are giant paintings of animals such as bulls, oxen, and horses.  Many of these paintings are overlapping.  This leaves people to speculate that this cave was sacred to the hunters of this group of people.  Perhaps it brought them good luck during a hunt and they continued to return for everyone after that.  Maybe these paintings were prayers of some sort, for a good hunt.  Today we view these paintings as incredible works of art, partly because of their long existence.

 

The pyramids of Egypt served so many purposes in their creation.  They were meant mainly to be the resting place of the pharaoh's ka or soul.  The enormous structure was filled with everything the pharaoh could ever need or enjoy in the afterlife: gold, food, animals, clothes, toys, etc..  The pyramids were also used as a show of the awesome power of the pharaoh.  They were so large that many feared them.  They were used as a way of keeping order when the people of Egypt had time to revolt (when the Nile River flooded).  They were also used to serve as a religious purpose.  Many beautiful temples and structures were dedicated to the gods.  Although these structures served many purposes, they were also meant to be beautiful.  The pyramids were covered in limestone and painted in bright, vivid colors.  Some accounts say that you could not look directly at them when the sun shone off of them.  These are beautiful pieces of artwork to me because they are rare and the stories that are written in hieroglyphics in side are unique to every pyramid.  Some, however, may not use them as art because they were meant to serve an important purpose.

 

The mosques of the Muslim religion are beautiful on the outside.  They are incredibly beautiful.  Sometimes the domes are covered in silver and gold.  Beautiful blue tile also adorns many of these structures.  The insides of these buildings are simple.  The Muslim religion does not believe in placing images on the walls, so the walls are sometimes completely bare.  Many times, however, inscriptions from the Qu=ran are written in calligraphy on the walls.  I believe this type of writing is art because it is often so extravagant that a normal Muslim could not read it.  Calligraphy is so beautiful that it decorates the inside of the mosques while following the rules of the religion, yet it serves the purpose of expressing the Muslim beliefs in their house of worship.

 

Cathedrals are similar to mosques in that they serve as a house of worship, yet many consider them art.  Many Cathedrals in Europe were built around holy relics.  One example of this is the Chartres Cathedral.  It houses the robe that was supposedly worn by the Virgin Mary either at her encounter with the arch angel or when she gave birth to Christ.  This Cathedral took over two centuries to build.  This is noted by the differences of the spires that are located at the entrance of the church.  They took so long to build because there is incredible detail built into each one.  The workers that built the Cathedral put their mark on it through the stained glass windows.  Each window shows scenes from the everyday life of the builders.  These religious structures are often so extravagant and so beautiful that they should be considered art, even though they were simply meant to be a place of worship and honor to Christ.