"Color
directly influences the soul. Color is the keyboard, the eyes are the hammers,
the soul is the piano with many strings. The artist is the hand that plays,
touching one key or another purposively, to cause vibrations in the soul."
-- Wassily Kandinsky, Concerning the
Spiritual in Art
Kandinsky, "Autumn in Bavaria" 1908;
Oil on cardboard, 33x45cm; Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
Kandinsky, "Composition IX" 1936
Oil on canvas, 113.5 x 195 cm; Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris
In
describing “pictorial composition” in Concerning the Spiritual in Art, Kandinsky
advocates for disharmonious combinations of colors and forms in a new harmony
for painting. He explains that the effect of any particular color is influenced
by the colors and forms with which it is juxtaposed and asserts that “the
incompatibility of certain forms and certain colors should be regarded not as
something ‘disharmonious,’ but conversely, as offering new possibilities – a new
form of harmony.
“Kandinsky uses color as a
tool to add depth, dimension, and complexity to a two-dimensional composition.”
(Reds and oranges to bring things in closer or
blues and purples to add distance.) ”This is a prime example of just how
color can tease the eye. He proposed that color, like sound, evokes emotions.
Along with other formal elements, such as line, shape, and form, color (like
music) is a language that communicates to all. The main focus of his
exploration of color was how it could be employed as an expression of the
spiritual, he imagined it to act as a kind of intermediary between the viewer
and the spiritual world.”1
The most common
theory of color harmony is based on the mixture of pigments. This is of
assistance to the landscape designer, but it does not take into consideration
the visual aspects of color. Another theory based on the spectrum and the
length of light waves is less applicable to the garden, where color must be
considered in relation to environment. The "psychological theory" of
Faber Birren is related to gardening. It is based on the effect or sensation of
color on the eye.
“Faber Birren (1900-1988) was a leading authority on the effects of color on humans. Birren
believed that color's influence extended beyond simply being a source of mere
pleasing perception to having a fundamental influence on artwork, human
psychology and the workplace experience. He believed that color was a primary
tool of expression, communication and self-identification. In his introduction
to "The Elements of Color," Birren wrote that "Expression should
come from within," albeit from a conscious, informed perspective.
Birren links the
human perception of color to the emotional response it evokes in the viewer. He
explains, in his 1961 publication, "Creative Color: An Approach for
Artists and Designers," that people associate color with other senses. He
writes, "Good smelling colors are pink, lilac, orchid, cool green, aqua
blue," and goes on to describe the associations of other colors with
corresponding senses. The association of one sense with another is known as
synaesthesia. In "Color Psychology and Color Therapy," Birren
observes that introverts tend to be unresponsive to color, and that emotionally
responsive people react more readily to color.”
Faber Birren's Color Wheel
For a more
detailed discussion of this see Birren's Color Dimensions, Color Equation, and the comprehensive color charts in The
American Colorist.
If the
effect of color is largely psychological, and since it is influenced, as it
appears in the garden, by light, shadow, climate, and humidity, it is nearly
impossible to lay down rules for its use.
Christopher Lloyd was considered to be an inspiration to gardeners. He was famous for his
bold gardening with strong use of shapes and colors that gave interest all
year. To him, colors work with and against each other, and must be viewed as
relationships. Colors strike powerful emotional chords and Lloyd knew how to
wring the most out them. “Christo” as he was affectionately called, stated,
“plants grown close to one another, need to help one another.”
A visit to his gardens is an emotional experience, an overload of the senses, a magical
drug-induced trip of color that sends one wondering if they have been
transported to Oz. Blogger Margaret Roach writes ….. "No garden in the world ever WOWED me like Great Dixter."
He debunks color wheel and other theories. “Limitations imposed by rules are a safe haven.” So
to the adventurous designer, colorist and gardener, he advocates breaking them!
1. -Kandinsky's dissonance and a Schoenbergian view of Composition VI
Shannon M. Annis
University of South Florida, -2008
2. –Cynthia Reeser, ehow.com
