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? 

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Painting, Les MrHOPE, MrHope

Les MrHOPE

MrHope

Painting - 40 x 30 x 2 cm Painting - 15.7 x 11.8 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, Smooth Guy, Odin Pigelet

Smooth Guy

Odin Pigelet

Painting - 80 x 20 x 1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 7.9 x 0.4 inch

Sold

Painting, Love Ado Haring, PyB

Love Ado Haring

PyB

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, Outrenoir colors, PyB

Outrenoir colors

PyB

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, La fleur, Odin Pigelet

La fleur

Odin Pigelet

Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, Bonh'om Bidule 9, VHE

Bonh'om Bidule 9

VHE

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, Mickey Banksy, PyB

Mickey Banksy

PyB

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, Bonh'om Bidule 10, VHE

Bonh'om Bidule 10

VHE

Painting - 20 x 20 x 3 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.2 inch

Sold

Painting, Bidule Hibou, VHE

Bidule Hibou

VHE

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

Sold

Painting, TDC, Seb Paul Michel

TDC

Seb Paul Michel

Painting - 53 x 57 x 1 cm Painting - 20.9 x 22.4 x 0.4 inch

Sold

Painting, Energy, Michael Edery

Energy

Michael Edery

Painting - 120 x 118 x 2.5 cm Painting - 47.2 x 46.5 x 1 inch

Sold

Painting, TDM, Seb Paul Michel

TDM

Seb Paul Michel

Painting - 42 x 27 x 1 cm Painting - 16.5 x 10.6 x 0.4 inch

Sold

Painting, Salvador, Sylvie Cappe

Salvador

Sylvie Cappe

Painting - 30 x 30 x 3 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.2 inch

Sold

Print, Alien town, Mr Doodle

Alien town

Mr Doodle

Print - 50 x 70 cm Print - 19.7 x 27.6 inch

Sold

Print, Giaco Vs La Linea, Shem

Giaco Vs La Linea

Shem

Print - 70 x 50 x 0.1 cm Print - 27.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

Sold

Painting, Fragment, Allias

Fragment

Allias

Painting - 100 x 70 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 27.6 x 1.6 inch

Sold

Painting, Slowmotion 03, Stereoflow

Slowmotion 03

Stereoflow

Painting - 80 x 60 x 5 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 2 inch

€2,100

Painting, Sans titre, Dare

Sans titre

Dare

Painting - 100 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

€4,025

Painting, Sans titre, Dare

Sans titre

Dare

Painting - 100 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

€4,025

Painting, Templations, Indie 184

Templations

Indie 184

Painting - 80 x 100 x 4 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 1.6 inch

€3,450

Painting, Sans titre, Kim Bellorin

Sans titre

Kim Bellorin

Painting - 100 x 80 x 4 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.5 x 1.6 inch

€3,335

Painting, Fragile, Flow

Fragile

Flow

Painting - 146 x 114 x 4 cm Painting - 57.5 x 44.9 x 1.6 inch

Sold

Painting, Spirit girl, Sylvie Cappe

Spirit girl

Sylvie Cappe

Painting - 85 x 53 x 0.5 cm Painting - 33.5 x 20.9 x 0.2 inch

€780

Painting, La rue, Sylvie Cappe

La rue

Sylvie Cappe

Painting - 88.5 x 116 x 2 cm Painting - 34.8 x 45.7 x 0.8 inch

€980

Painting, Sans Titre, Meteo Meteo

Sans Titre

Meteo Meteo

Painting - 84.1 x 59.4 x 0.1 cm Painting - 33.1 x 23.4 x 0 inch

€650 €455

Print, Marilyn LV, Death NYC

Marilyn LV

Death NYC

Print - 15.5 x 6.5 x 0.05 cm Print - 6.1 x 2.6 x 0 inch

€200

Print, Marilyn Blue, Death NYC

Marilyn Blue

Death NYC

Print - 15.5 x 6.5 x 0.05 cm Print - 6.1 x 2.6 x 0 inch

€200

Print, Hirst Spots, Death NYC

Hirst Spots

Death NYC

Print - 15.5 x 6.5 x 0.05 cm Print - 6.1 x 2.6 x 0 inch

€200

Print, Popeye Kusama, Death NYC

Popeye Kusama

Death NYC

Print - 15.5 x 13 x 0.05 cm Print - 6.1 x 5.1 x 0 inch

€280

Print, Snoopy, Death NYC

Snoopy

Death NYC

Print - 6.5 x 15.5 x 0.05 cm Print - 2.6 x 6.1 x 0 inch

€350

Print, Marilyn Dollar, Death NYC

Marilyn Dollar

Death NYC

Print - 15.5 x 6.5 x 0.05 cm Print - 6.1 x 2.6 x 0 inch

€350

Painting, Power of love, Flu

Power of love

Flu

Painting - 60 x 60 x 3 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1.2 inch

€1,000

Painting, Masked love, Flu

Masked love

Flu

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

€1,600

Painting, Cha Rose Bonbon, Chanoir

Cha Rose Bonbon

Chanoir

Painting - 60 x 60 x 2 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.8 inch

€4,000

Painting, Liberté, Taiyu Zhou

Liberté

Taiyu Zhou

Painting - 68 x 68 x 1 cm Painting - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,200

Painting, Oracles II, Taiyu Zhou

Oracles II

Taiyu Zhou

Painting - 136 x 34 x 1 cm Painting - 53.5 x 13.4 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Longévité, Taiyu Zhou

Longévité

Taiyu Zhou

Painting - 68 x 68 x 1 cm Painting - 26.8 x 26.8 x 0.4 inch

€1,200

Painting, Oracles, Taiyu Zhou

Oracles

Taiyu Zhou

Painting - 78 x 42 x 1 cm Painting - 30.7 x 16.5 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Floraison, Taiyu Zhou

Floraison

Taiyu Zhou

Painting - 78 x 42 x 1 cm Painting - 30.7 x 16.5 x 0.4 inch

€1,500

Painting, Face2 - Bright, Max Ruela

Face2 - Bright

Max Ruela

Painting - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch

€650

Painting, Face2 - Brush, Max Ruela

Face2 - Brush

Max Ruela

Painting - 80 x 60 x 0.1 cm Painting - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0 inch

€650

Painting, Skull, Tarek

Skull

Tarek

Painting - 20 x 20 x 2 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 0.8 inch

€160

Painting, Frida, Patricia Gadisseur

Frida

Patricia Gadisseur

Painting - 60 x 60 x 2.5 cm Painting - 23.6 x 23.6 x 1 inch

€400

Painting, Who's there, Onizbar

Who's there

Onizbar

Painting - 130 x 89 x 2 cm Painting - 51.2 x 35 x 0.8 inch

€1,000

Painting, Nako, La Pointe

Nako

La Pointe

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

€1,200

Painting, Yumi, La Pointe

Yumi

La Pointe

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

Painting, Sakaru, La Pointe

Sakaru

La Pointe

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

Painting, Saburo, La Pointe

Saburo

La Pointe

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

Painting, Nakatsu, La Pointe

Nakatsu

La Pointe

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

Painting, Misato, La Pointe

Misato

La Pointe

Painting - 20.3 x 30.5 x 0.3 cm Painting - 8 x 12 x 0.1 inch

€1,200

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