Purple and gold are often associated with Royalty, wealth and opulence
Red, White and Blue reminiscent of the American flag, immediately convey notions of patriotism and, to some extent, conservatism.
Green has taken on a very strong connotation as the color representing ecology and concern for the environment, however, it also conveys meanings associated with money and the suggestion "to go ahead" which is obviously derived from traffic lights.
Colors represent holidays and seasons of the year.
The Fall foliage colors of Red, orange, yellow, and brown are clearly expressive of Thanksgiving. Halloween: Orange and Black. Red and Green represent Christmas. Purple and Yellow and other pastels colors represent Easter.
Blue, Red, White and Grey = Stability, Power, Trustworthiness, Conservatism
Yellow, Brown, Orange, Green = Nature, earthiness, warmth
Red, Orange, yellow = more warmth
Blues and Aquas = water and coolness
Primary colors (Red, Blue, Yellow) = Convey fun
Color symbolism in Zulu beading.
Young girls learned bead work and the meaning of the symbols and colors used from their older sisters. The bead work was usually worn as a head or neck band. Men depended on female relatives to explain the code. The patterns and colors can also tell what region a woman comes from and what her social standing is.
Native American Color Symbolism
Colors in Native American culture often symbolize different things from
culture to culture....African cultures have different meanings....and
so on. Colors symbolize different qualities in various European cultures.
Native American color symbols--Cherokee
The Four Directions
Colors were associated with the four directions.
Blue represented North which meant cold, defeat and trouble.
White was South representing warmth, peace and happiness.
Red was East, the color of the Sacred Fire, blood, and success.
West was black the color meaning problems and death.
Other colors also had special meanings.
Brown was good but yellow meant trouble and strife.
The circle was also a basic symbol for the Cherokees.
The council houses were circular and the fire inside was
built so that the fire would burn in a circular path.
The stomp dance and other ceremonies were performed
in a circular pattern.
Navajo Meanings of Colors
This information was posted to Getty Teacher Art Exchange by Christine Merriam
The Four Sacred Mountains and directions are associated with colors. The Navajos belief is that their Creator placed them on the land between the following 4 mountains representing the 4 cardinal directions:
White: Mount Blanca (Tsisnaasjini' - Dawn or White Shell Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the East near Alamosa in San Luis Valley, Colorado
Blue: Mount Taylor (Tsoodzil - Blue Bead or Turquoise Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the South north of Laguna, New Mexico
Yellow: San Francisco Peaks (Doko'oosliid - Abalone Shell Mountain) Sacred Mountain of the West near Flagstaff, Arizona
Black: Mount Hesperus Dibé Nitsaa (Big Mountain Sheep) - Obsidian Mountain Sacred Mountain of the North La Plata Mountains, Colorado.
http://www.lapahie.com/Sacred_Mts.cfm The principal colors, white, blue, yellow and black are linked to the four sacred mountains as well as the directions- Red is often considered a sacred color and represents sunlight. (source for this is off line now)
White Mountain Apaches
Four sacred colors of the White Mountain Apaches in east central Arizona contrast
interestingly with the Cherokee colors:
White represents the north, source of snow
Yellow is east, where the sun comes up
Green is south
Black is west, home of the sun's setting
These colors are used in a variety of settings, from the tribal government
seal to the ribbons on the cane of Changing Woman (the girls' puberty
ceremony).
Medicine Wheel color symbolism:
EAST- dawn of new day-Yellow-illumination-inspiration-eagle
SOUTH- red or green-passion, heart, warmth-emotions-porcupine
WEST- black-introspection, self examination, reflection-bear
NORTH- wisdom of our elders-white-white buffalo
The Flag of the Flag of the Iowa Nation
The color of the streamers brings together the four primary
colors in Native American art, the black, yellow, red and white. These
colors are said to represent the four races of man and the four prime
directions of the compass. With its use of color and its chosen emblems the
flag of the Iowas may be the most typical of all Native American
flags.
Information below was from a site I would not go to with students (site is no longer online) I have omitted all of the pagan color symbolism from this page. Sources were not documented.
Native American Color Symbolism (varies by ethnic group - this source was not "authoritative")
Red (Faith): Communication
Yellow (Love): Overcoming challenges through unconditional love
Blue (Intuition): Using intuition to teach and serve
Green (Will): Living willfully
Pink (Creativity): Working
White (Magnetism): Sharing
Purple (Wisdom): Gratitude/healing
Orange (Learning): Kinship
Gray (Honoring): Friendship
Brown (Knowing): Self-discipline
Rose (Seeing): Motivation
Black (Hearing) Harmony; listening
Crystal (Clarity): Wholeness
Asian Color Symbolism
Red: Happiness, marriage, prosperity
Pink Marriage
Yellow: Against evil, for the dead, geomantic blessings
Green: Eternity, family, harmony, health, peace, posterity
Blue: Self-cultivation, wealth
Purple: Wealth
White: Children, helpful people, marriage,
mourning, peace, purity, travel
Gold: Strength, wealth
Gray: Helpful people, travel
Black: Career, evil influences, knowledge, mourning, penance, self-cultivation
Astrological Color Associations (this source was not "authoritative")
(SIGN--COLOR)
Aries -- White
Taurus -- Yellow
Gemini -- Red or Purple
Cancer -- Bright Green
Leo -- Golden Yellow/Orange
Virgo -- Pale Blue or Violet
Libra -- Violet
Scorpio -- Reddish Brown
Sagittarius -- Orange or Purple
Capricorn -- Brown or Blue
Aquarius -- Dark Blue
Pisces -- White or Purple
Color in Sacred Art
Color meaning in sacred art -- various cultures given -- research notes on religious art
by Dr. A.L. Marsland
Color Therapy - Color and the Brain
Specific colors have different effects (list copied from Biopulse.org)
Black: self-confidence, power, strength
Blue: calming, lowers blood pressure, decreases respiration
Green: soothing, relaxing mentally as well as physically, helps those suffering from depression, anxiety, nervousness
Violet: suppresses appetite, provides a peaceful environment, good for migraines
Pink: used in diet therapy as an appetite suppressant, relaxes muscles, relieves tension, soothing
Yellow: energizes, relieves depression, improves memory, stimulates appetite
Orange: energizes, stimulates appetite and digestive system
Red: stimulates brain wave activity, increases heart rate, respirations and blood pressure.....
Additional Links for Color Symbolism
Color in Motion Fun interactive site on symbolism of colors. Meet the characters (colors) - watch the movies and test your knowledge. Masters research project by Claudia Cortés.
Color Symbolism in Stained Glass The symbolism of color as established by Dante
Color Order Systems in Art and Science Color systems and colors for various cultures.
Isaac Newton’s Theory of Colour, Goethe’s and more - a total of 59 richly illustrated color theories from the Antiquity to modern times along with color symbolism in many cultures.
What Color Means: Color Symbolism and Emotions of Color Explanation of color symbolism (from About.com)
Color Symbolism Matching Exercise - Try it just for fun. Now you know that colors mean different things to different cultures - See if you feel the same as the author of this quiz.
Orange Color Symbolism Blue Color Symbolism Brown Color Symbolism
Black and White Color Symbolism Red and Pink Color Symbolism
Yellow and Gold Color Symbolism Gray and Silver Color Symbolism
Purple and Lavender Color Symbolism Green and Teal Color Symbolism
Color Meanings - from About .com Desktop Publishing
Color Symbolism Chart Has some different cultures listed. From Wired 4 Success Web Design.
Color Matters - Culture Matters Interesting page on "green"
Symbolism and Color - Chart that matches some of the most popular rose colors
with the sentiments they express. Several different color symbolism charts for roses can be found on line.
Color Symbolism Color symbolism given with comparisons to Japanese culture. Page is written by Michael Thomas for is site on Anime.
Dictionary of Symbolism - Look up your color word. University of Michigan Fantasy and Science Fiction. Originally Constructed by Allison Protas.
Psychology of Color What is color? How does the human eye perceive it? How do we name a color? What are the physiological and psychological effects of color? What are the symbolic meanings of various colors in this and other cultures? This article offers answers
More on the Psychology of color from About.com (has pop-up ads)
Color Symbolism - Ancient Egypt from Ancient Egypt: The Mythology - site by April McDevitt.
Heraldry on the Internet This site is designed to help you conduct heraldry research on the Internet -- many links as to the various sources of heraldic material available. Symbolism of Heraldry Teacher recommended site.
Web Exhibits.org See Causes of Color, Color Vision and Art and Pigments
Color Symbolism in the Bible Teachers, you will have to decide if this can be shown to your students. Use your judgment. Also see the additional links suggested.
On Teaching the Color Wheel:
From Marvin Bartel: For any age that does not already "know" the color wheel - try a more scientific approach.
What if we did NOT show anybody the color wheel?
What if we started with only primaries and black and white without saying that they are primaries and neutrals?
What if you ask students to see what they "discover" by experimentation when we direct them concerning which colors to combine and which colors and neutrals to combine? This is not exactly "playing around" but it is "directed research".
I suppose it is the scientific method being used in art.
What if we ask them to "invent" a chart or something that helps them remember the combinations and their results?
If anyone tries this - or has tried this approach - let me know and I will forward your results to Professor Bartel.
More on the topic of Color Theory from Marvin Bartel
I find that an easier way for students to understand color theory is to have them do some fairly simple hands-on color mixing activities on paper. I show them nothing (NO COLOR WHEELS AND CHARTS) in advance. That would take away the fun of discovery.
First the art teacher invents and leads warm-up color mixing and/or colored paper activities based on what the students need to discover by doing. These hands-on warm-ups are followed by questions (questions can be oral or on handouts that students can fill out based on what can be observed on the papers that they have just produced) . I notice that students can easily daydream and even fall asleep while watching my wonderful demos, examples, and presentations, but I have yet to see one fall asleep while they are doing hands-on experiments with art materials.
Joseph Albers, the premier color theorist, said, "In the end all education is self-education." (taken from the wall of an Albers Exhibition at the Tate Modern, London, March, 2006).
A Chinese proverb says: Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Have me do it and I understand.
FOR EXAMPLE
Students can be instructed to add some red to some yellow. To make sure that students see what they are intended to discover, I have to ask a series of questions (orally or in writing on a handout) such as:
By looking at your experiment, what can you say about mixing red and yellow?
What is the range of different color(s) that can result from mixing red and yellow?
How much of each color is needed to make a mid-hue combination (best orange)? Why do you suppose more of one color needed? (I want them to discover that less red is needed and I want them to deliberately wonder about it and speculate on the reason for this difference)
What happens when more or less water is part of each color in the mix? This is to establish that experiments need to control for extraneous variables in order to get reliable (repeatable) results.
How does a small cutout square of the mixed color appear to change when it is placed on a sheet of black, grey, and white paper? (have them place identical sized identical colors on different backgrounds to learn the effects of different contexts)
Which results seem to come forward? Attack more? Recede? Run away more?
Using the painted paper (that now has a hole in the middle after cutting out the color samples) place grey, white and black under the hole to see if some come recede (go back more) or if some come forward (attack) more than others.
NEXT WARM-UP EXAMPLE
Many students wonder how to brown is mixed. Instead of telling them an answer, a warm-up can have them all make brown and then clarify with questions so that they learn what and why it made brown. To make this brown they are asked to make a good medium orange and add a tiny bit of black.
What questions can we ask after this warm up to insure that students have internalized how a brown can be created? Is this brown a shade or tint? Why? Is it warm or cool? Why? Is it intense and saturated or dull and muted (as compared to what)? How do two different browns compare with each other (as they relate to their neighboring colors in a painting)?
Things like color wheels might come later (if anybody still cares), after they have invented ways to chart colors on their own. You might say they are learning to invent the wheel. To learn to experiment and to invent is a big thing. It makes learning the little things so much more fun.
It is interesting to think about other "facts" of art that could be "understood" better if they were discovered and learned rather than taught. What would be the principles of composition if the students invented them? What styles of art could or would students invent? How is our learning different when we construct our own knowledge instead of memorizing something that experts tell us? (from Getty TeacherArtExchange post February 24, 2007)
Edible Color Wheel
Try this FUN activity to teach the color wheel. Edible Color Wheel Lesson by Sandra Hildreth (Sandra was the Getty ArtsEdNet Charter Member who started this great idea - now Getty Teacher Art Exchange)
Color Schemer This is a site for web designing software. This link is not provided as an advertisement for the software - but rather for the article/tutorial on color theory.
Got some time to kill with your students? Try these online Color Tests
Color Schemes: 603010.com Justin Kramer (Australia) has had great success using this site with his students to help them understand more pleasing color combinations are obtained by mixing colors. Let the student explore their own color profile. (I had to do it twice before the profiler got it right for me -- smile. It was interesting and fun. I have decided I am a blend two color schemes).
Color Test - See if your right brain and left brain are working together. Select the COLOR of the word not the word. This one is quick - only takes a few seconds to do.
Personality Color Quiz (based on Research) ColorQuiz is a free five minute personality test based on decades of research by color psychologists around the world. There are no complicated questions to answer, you simply choose colors with a click of the mouse - then check your results (no email address to enter - results are not saved). Hmmm....Use at your own risk. I just read through all of my answers which I had neglected to do at first. Some answers may not be suitable for children.
NOTE TO STUDENTS: This page is not "authoritative" - I am not an expert on this topic. This page was created first for my students to give them an awareness of symbolism of colors in different cultures. Some of the listings come from Pagan sites which would not be acceptable for my students to view from school - so I copied the lists (without permission). If you are doing research - look for sources that have been researched and can be verified. My students came up with their own meaning for colors they used. ~Judy Decker