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 Joyeux, VHE

Les Joyeux

VHE

Painting - 40 x 40 x 4 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.6 inch

$179 $161

Print, Classy, Ciscø

Classy

Ciscø

Print - 10 x 18 x 1 cm Print - 3.9 x 7.1 x 0.4 inch

$441

Sculpture, Wild gorille 1255, Masaya

Wild gorille 1255

Masaya

Sculpture - 115 x 68 x 60 cm Sculpture - 45.3 x 26.8 x 23.6 inch

$12,517

Painting, Frida&co, Lucie Emmanuelle

Frida&co

Lucie Emmanuelle

Painting - 100 x 60 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 23.6 x 1 inch

$1,252

Sculpture, Kiwi Bear, Gabriela Noelle

Kiwi Bear

Gabriela Noelle

Sculpture - 46 x 19 x 24 cm Sculpture - 18.1 x 7.5 x 9.4 inch

$6,080

Painting, Icon Betty, Tommy

Icon Betty

Tommy

Painting - 45 x 30 x 1 cm Painting - 17.7 x 11.8 x 0.4 inch

$2,861

Photography, Hope, David Djian

Hope

David Djian

Photography - 80 x 53.33 x 0.2 cm Photography - 31.5 x 21 x 0.1 inch

$834

Painting, Sans titre, Moshi Moshi

Sans titre

Moshi Moshi

Painting - 100 x 160 x 2.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 63 x 1 inch

$2,980

Painting, Mickey fuck, Illian

Mickey fuck

Illian

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

$834

Painting, B-Art, Amaury Dubois

B-Art

Amaury Dubois

Painting - 100 x 81 x 2 cm Painting - 39.4 x 31.9 x 0.8 inch

$4,530

Painting, Friends, Hardwürst

Friends

Hardwürst

Painting - 100 x 120 x 0.5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 47.2 x 0.2 inch

$1,133

Painting, World's dance, Ihab Ahmad

World's dance

Ihab Ahmad

Painting - 100 x 100 x 5 cm Painting - 39.4 x 39.4 x 2 inch

$6,557

Print, Betty 2, Dganit Blechner

Betty 2

Dganit Blechner

Print - 80 x 80 x 5 cm Print - 31.5 x 31.5 x 2 inch

$1,907

Painting, Flowery Love, Rose

Flowery Love

Rose

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

$358

Painting, Traffic light, Darko

Traffic light

Darko

Painting - 30 x 30 x 4 cm Painting - 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.6 inch

$358

Design, Love bear, Flu

Love bear

Flu

Design - 25.5 x 24.5 x 20 cm Design - 10 x 9.6 x 7.9 inch

$477

Painting, DotNuts, Anna Sweet

DotNuts

Anna Sweet

Painting - 45.7 x 30.5 x 6.35 cm Painting - 18 x 12 x 2.5 inch

$6,000

Painting, FlowerSkull, VL.

FlowerSkull

VL.

Painting - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch

Sold

Painting, Boule Pokémon, Mr Bou

Boule Pokémon

Mr Bou

Painting - 20 x 20 x 4 cm Painting - 7.9 x 7.9 x 1.6 inch

$536

Print, Résonance, Jawa

Résonance

Jawa

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

$297

Sculpture, Bouddha Pop star, Narôme

Bouddha Pop star

Narôme

Sculpture - 36 x 18 x 18 cm Sculpture - 14.2 x 7.1 x 7.1 inch

$584

Painting, Bertone, Pascal Astier

Bertone

Pascal Astier

Painting - 73 x 92 x 2 cm Painting - 28.7 x 36.2 x 0.8 inch

$2,384

Design, Glam Box, Sylvie Cappe

Glam Box

Sylvie Cappe

Design - 31 x 30.5 x 30.5 cm Design - 12.2 x 12 x 12 inch

$334

Sculpture, Tête pop, Mp Chery

Tête pop

Mp Chery

Sculpture - 30 x 16 x 22 cm Sculpture - 11.8 x 6.3 x 8.7 inch

$298

Photography, Platonic Moon, Franz West

Platonic Moon

Franz West

Photography - 30 x 42.7 x 1 cm Photography - 11.8 x 16.8 x 0.4 inch

$1,788

Fine Art Drawings, Poüèt King, Poüèt

Poüèt King

Poüèt

Fine Art Drawings - 30 x 21 x 1 cm Fine Art Drawings - 11.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inch

$83

Print, Lady Di, Lilly

Lady Di

Lilly

Print - 65 x 50 x 0.01 cm Print - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0 inch

$715

Painting, Street Marilyn, Kostar

Street Marilyn

Kostar

Painting - 165 x 125 x 4 cm Painting - 65 x 49.2 x 1.6 inch

$8,345

Fine Art Drawings, Etude Amour Désarmé, M.Chat

Etude Amour Désarmé

M.Chat

Fine Art Drawings - 65 x 50 x 0.2 cm Fine Art Drawings - 25.6 x 19.7 x 0.1 inch

$2,980

Print, Bises Bee, M.Chat

Bises Bee

M.Chat

Print - 61 x 68 x 0.01 cm Print - 24 x 26.8 x 0 inch

$656

Painting, Icon #22, Ronald Hunter

Icon #22

Ronald Hunter

Painting - 90 x 90 x 3 cm Painting - 35.4 x 35.4 x 1.2 inch

$2,623

Painting, Mickey Peace, Shelby

Mickey Peace

Shelby

Painting - 40 x 40 x 3 cm Painting - 15.7 x 15.7 x 1.2 inch

$954 $858

Print, Baby Yoda, C215

Baby Yoda

C215

Print - 50 x 40 x 0.1 cm Print - 19.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$715

Painting, Multitag, Seen

Multitag

Seen

Painting - 86.5 x 70 cm Painting - 34.1 x 27.6 inch

$1,669

Painting, Blue, Seen

Blue

Seen

Painting - 86 x 70 cm Painting - 33.9 x 27.6 inch

$1,669

Painting, Look at me, Ronald Hunter

Look at me

Ronald Hunter

Painting - 120 x 120 x 3 cm Painting - 47.2 x 47.2 x 1.2 inch

$4,767

Print, Drifting, tizlu

Drifting

tizlu

Print - 40 x 40 x 0.1 cm Print - 15.7 x 15.7 x 0 inch

$417

Print, Cavalcade, Arman

Cavalcade

Arman

Print - 64.5 x 99 x 0.05 cm Print - 25.4 x 39 x 0 inch

$1,907 $1,717

Painting, Betty boop, Rico Sab

Betty boop

Rico Sab

Painting - 50 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 19.7 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$596

Painting, La gifle, Onemizer

La gifle

Onemizer

Painting - 24 x 24 x 0.3 cm Painting - 9.45 x 9.45 x 0.1 inch

$596

Painting, Chat, C215

Chat

C215

Painting - 36.5 x 24.5 x 0.1 cm Painting - 14.4 x 9.6 x 0 inch

$2,003

Painting, Vespa yeah, Rico Sab

Vespa yeah

Rico Sab

Painting - 80 x 100 x 2 cm Painting - 31.5 x 39.4 x 0.8 inch

$954

Print, District 13, Seth

District 13

Seth

Print - 80 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 31.5 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

$1,788

Painting, Bird, David Jamin

Bird

David Jamin

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

$870

Painting, Shalom, Shelby

Shalom

Shelby

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

$1,431

Painting, Chat #2, Martin

Chat #2

Martin

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

$834

Painting, Chat, Martin

Chat

Martin

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

$834

Print, Blue Variations, Arman

Blue Variations

Arman

Print - 65 x 99.5 x 0.05 cm Print - 25.6 x 39.2 x 0 inch

$1,907

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