Colored artworks

The work of color is central in any artistic work. It is even one of the first tools of the artist. It is difficult to imagine a work that would exist without the working of color - even if it is the absence of color that the artist chooses to present. 

Through the ages and artistic movements, the use and meaning attributed to color evolves, but the essence of color remains the same. Every artist must master the properties of color in order to control his composition. In the restoration of paintings, color even becomes a science, because it is necessary to know the different molecules to find the colors and mixtures originally used by the artist. 

In the history of art, the importance of color fluctuates according to periods and geographical areas. During the Italian Renaissance, for example, there was a debate (called Paragone) between the authority of color versus drawing: according to the schools, it is the color, and not the line, that creates the emotion and visual power of a work of art. The colors thus take on an immense importance, and assume certain meanings: white symbolizes purity for example, and blue (systematically used to clothe the Virgin Mary) is associated with divinity. These symbols are not thought of randomly: the purple for example, is used since the Byzantine era to signify the highest rank of royalty. Unlike ochre, the purple pigment came from a specific shell, and was extremely difficult - and therefore rare, and expensive - to obtain.

More generally, colors can be divided into three categories: warm, cool, and neutral. As their name implies, these classes of colors give off an atmosphere that the painter can use to influence the emotion of his work. Baroque art, for example, manipulates the contrasts between warm and cold colors to capture the power of bodies. The play of light is exalted by the effects of color. For a long time, the traditional Western school of painting required painters to reproduce the colors of the environment around them. It was the Impressionists, in the 19th century, who explored other ways of seeing - and therefore of transcribing on canvas - their chromatic environment. By avoiding complex mixtures and painting spontaneously, in the open air, the Impressionists reinvented the use of color to reproduce reality.

It was not until abstract and subjective painting that art devoted itself to color as a subject. Mark Rothko, precursor of the Colorfield Painting movement and of abstract expressionism, sees in his paintings a living organism whose color is human and whose format is transcendent. Piet Mondrian, on the other hand, sought in his paintings to approach the very essence of nature through the purity of primary colors, to achieve abstraction. The founder of the Russian avant-garde movement of Suprematism, Kasimir Malevich, will disturb the senses of everyone with his work "White square on white background", in which the color is painted only for itself. Contemporary art, photography, collage, or pop art also use in their respective ways the resources of color, exploring indefinitely all its pluralities. As Picasso said, "When I have no blue, I use red." 

Artsper writes art in color: discover below a great selection of works that honor color and its properties. What better way to brighten up an interior? 

Read more
Painting, Stoulgram, Stoul

Stoulgram

Stoul

Painting - 50 x 40 x 1 cm Painting - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0.4 inch

$877

Painting, Madame k., Morena MoBe

Madame k.

Morena MoBe

Painting - 50 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

$351

Painting, Power lady, James Chiew

Power lady

James Chiew

Painting - 90 x 180 x 5 cm Painting - 35.4 x 70.9 x 2 inch

$8,775

Painting, Vibe 2, Debora Stewart

Vibe 2

Debora Stewart

Painting - 61 x 61 x 3.8 cm Painting - 24 x 24 x 1.5 inch

$1,300

Painting, Untitled, John Matos Crash

Untitled

John Matos Crash

Painting - 51 x 51 x 4 cm Painting - 20.1 x 20.1 x 1.6 inch

$4,095

Painting, Capitale, Gilbert Morales

Capitale

Gilbert Morales

Painting - 50 x 70 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 27.6 x 0.8 inch

$2,106

Painting, Pink leaves, Andrei Sitsko

Pink leaves

Andrei Sitsko

Painting - 80 x 80 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.8 inch

$1,053

Painting, Blue energy node, Piotre

Blue energy node

Piotre

Painting - 130 x 97 x 3 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 1.2 inch

$5,733

Painting, 2024_001, Hervé Richard

2024_001

Hervé Richard

Painting - 80 x 80 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 1.2 inch

$760

Photography, Recordings IV, Javier Rey

Recordings IV

Javier Rey

Photography - 80 x 46 x 0.1 cm Photography - 31.5 x 18.1 x 0 inch

$1,300

Painting, Oreo Lovers, Anthea Missy

Oreo Lovers

Anthea Missy

Painting - 80 x 70 x 3 cm Painting - 31.5 x 27.6 x 1.2 inch

$1,989

Painting, Splash 44, Mark Hellbusch

Splash 44

Mark Hellbusch

Painting - 80 x 80 x 1.5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 31.5 x 0.6 inch

$690

Painting, Corail, Sabrina Viola

Corail

Sabrina Viola

Painting - 50 x 50 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 0.8 inch

$819

Painting, Rorschach, Bald

Rorschach

Bald

Painting - 46 x 61 x 2 cm Painting - 18.1 x 24 x 0.8 inch

$1,287

Print, Aloa, Louis Bottero

Aloa

Louis Bottero

Print - 50 x 40 cm Print - 19.7 x 15.7 inch

$936

Painting, The Masks, Mino Maccari

The Masks

Mino Maccari

Painting - 24.5 x 34 x 0.1 cm Painting - 9.6 x 13.4 x 0 inch

$1,404

Painting, Vola via, Davide Angelillo

Vola via

Davide Angelillo

Painting - 100 x 120 x 1.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.6 inch

$620

Photography, Discord, Thandiwe Muriu

Discord

Thandiwe Muriu

Photography - 120 x 120 x 0.2 cm Photography - 47.2 x 47.2 x 0.1 inch

$15,210

Painting, Terre, Sophie Duplain

Terre

Sophie Duplain

Painting - 73 x 100 x 2.5 cm Painting - 28.7 x 39.4 x 1 inch

$1,872

Painting, VAN GOGH, Capocci

VAN GOGH

Capocci

Painting - 116 x 89 x 3 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 1.2 inch

$3,042

Painting, Famous PB, MAM

Famous PB

MAM

Painting - 50 x 50 x 4 cm Painting - 19.7 x 19.7 x 1.6 inch

$936

Painting, On the Back 1, Célia Eid

On the Back 1

Célia Eid

Painting - 67 x 76 x 3 cm Painting - 26.4 x 29.9 x 1.2 inch

$1,521

Painting, Deforming, Jos Luchipe

Deforming

Jos Luchipe

Painting - 70 x 70 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 inch

$702

Painting, La casa roja, Manuel Perez

La casa roja

Manuel Perez

Painting - 100 x 140 x 0.2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 55.1 x 0.1 inch

$2,808

Painting, Tilte, Muriel Charbonnier

Tilte

Muriel Charbonnier

Painting - 70 x 70 x 4 cm Painting - 27.6 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

$2,176

Painting, Sans titre 30, Frappis

Sans titre 30

Frappis

Painting - 46 x 38 x 1 cm Painting - 18.1 x 15 x 0.4 inch

$760

Painting, Sans titre, Jan Voss

Sans titre

Jan Voss

Painting - 25 x 33 cm Painting - 9.8 x 13 inch

$2,106

Painting, Tag n° 2307, Saname

Tag n° 2307

Saname

Painting - 107 x 167 x 0.2 cm Painting - 42.1 x 65.7 x 0.1 inch

$1,404

Painting, Alive, Victor Prodanchuk

Alive

Victor Prodanchuk

Painting - 55 x 42 x 1 cm Painting - 21.7 x 16.5 x 0.4 inch

$680

Painting, Icône I, Cécile Girard

Icône I

Cécile Girard

Painting - 42 x 43 x 1 cm Painting - 16.5 x 16.9 x 0.4 inch

$936 $842

Painting, Hanoï, Seaty

Hanoï

Seaty

Painting - 105 x 95 cm Painting - 41.3 x 37.4 inch

$11,466

Painting, Rouge, Tanya Lytko

Rouge

Tanya Lytko

Painting - 100 x 100 x 3 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 1.2 inch

$2,106

Sculpture, Spacecolour 4, Udo Zembok

Spacecolour 4

Udo Zembok

Sculpture - 51 x 50 x 4.2 cm Sculpture - 20.1 x 19.7 x 1.7 inch

$9,360

Painting, Integration, Liam Hennessy

Integration

Liam Hennessy

Painting - 89.9 x 59.9 x 2 cm Painting - 35.4 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

$833

2/100