Psychology of the

Arts
Chapter 3: The Meaning of Color
Donna Backues
ARTS 545

Color in our language

She has a colorful personality.
You look at the world through rosecolored glasses.
Everything looks black to the gloomy
person.
I am feeling blue today.
He is green with envy.

The Meaningfulness of Color

Color holds a honorable position in our world. (Kreitler, 1972.p.
54)

Color can
have deep symbolic meaning
be used as a metaphor
evoke strong emotions
fascinate babies
possibly reveal personality types
be symbolic of events or objects

.individual psychotherapy can be of

help in tracing the sources of personal
associations to colors
(Kreitler, 1972, p.63)

Personal Associations to Colors

Personal associations, both subconsciously or consciously, are
common reactions to colors :

Personal associations can involve images

or memories of:

people
objects
situations
occurrences
wishes
dreams

.studies of the history, traditions, social

structure, concepts, and language of various
cultures may uncover some of the lost origins of
the meanings of colors.
(Kreitler, 1972, p.63)

Culturally Shared Meanings

Members of the same group, religion, culture or community will share

associations with color.

Western Culture:

Chinese Culture:

Green = Hope

Yellow = Hatred

White = Purity

Black = Mourning

Red = Love or
Revolution

White =
Righteousness

Yellow =
Trustworthiness

Indian Culture:
Black = dullness,
stupidity
White =
Understanding,
repose
Red = Ambition,
desire, heroism

Sometimes color will evoke different feelings depending on the

experiences of a particular generation within a cultural group.

Jerusalem 1941

Jerusalem 1960

Yellow was

Yellow was a popular

unpleasant because

color associated

the Nazi forced

with the reviving of

wearing of the

the desert in the

yellow star patch.

country.

Color Preferences
Studies show that there are differences in color preferences
among groups
Children have different
preferences than older children
or adults.

Saturation and brightness play a

greater role than hue in
determining color preferences

In some studies women have

different preferences than men.

Preferences can be influenced by

many things such as biology,
education, personal experience,
culture etc.

Individual preferences differ from

person to person even
individuals in the same group.

Symbolic Meaning of Colors

There is some evidence that meanings for colors
are shared widely across cultures.
RED shows up in all studies
as the most meaning-laden
color of all. Perhaps because
we all have red blood.
Exciting
Strong
Energetic
Stimulating
Hot
Masterful
Impulsive

BLUE - Shows up as having similar

meanings across cultures and religious
groups.
Soothing
Cool
Passive
Secure
Calm
Mystical
World beyond
Unattainable

Interesting Facts about Color in Different Cultures

In Ancient Egypt red-haired people
were killed to ensure fruitful harvests

Blue flower was used by the Romanticists as a

sign for devotion to the world beyond

Red Easter Eggs used to signify

fertility

In Christianity, Blue Monday was for

spiritualization for the faithful

Greeks, Germans and Aborigine

Australians warriors would apply red
to the face to symbolize aggression
and power.

In art, Christ is often represented in a blue mantle

The term red-light district for areas

with prostitution

In India, light blue was considered the primordial

state of matter the color of supreme wisdom &
the body of Buddha

Bluebird is used in hundreds of songs

to connote that which is unattainable

Mary was often referred to as the Blue Lady due

to so many blue attributes

Blue laws of American puritans

Synesthesia and the Organismic Approach

Synesthesia is defined as responding to a stimulus of one sense
modality with sensations which belong to another sense modality.
(Kreitler, 1972, p.70)
When some people look at a
particular color they at the same
time will:

Hear a tone
See a number
Feel a sensation in their body
Smell a scent

NOTE:
Synesthesia might
be learned or it
might be a whole
body response
similar to babies
differentiation of
the senses. (Kreitler,
1972, p.71)

Colors and Archetypes

Meanings hover about colors perhaps because they are traced
back to meanings in the past.
The evil of black and
its relationship to
death might be
traced back to a
prehistoric time
when black was
associated with fear
of night and hollow
spaces.

Archetypal meanings
of colors may also be
related to the way
animals instinctively
react to color.

Colors, Paintings, and Observers

The meeting ground of all the varied
possible effects of colors is the
individual observing the colors of a
painting. (Kreitler, 1972, p.75)

PAUL GAUGUIN (1848-1903)

'Vision After The Sermon', 1888 (oil
on canvas)

Sunflowers
by
Vincent Van
Gogh
1888

The Blue
Room
Picasso
1901