divURGENTdrifts

David Josef Tamargo says:

Chaz Maviyane-Davies eloquently illustrates a consciousness of reinforced fear in current American culture. The United States of America, a nation which once resorted to terrorist activities and tea parties to gain its independence has come a long way; unfortunately the Homeland Security color-coded terrorism threat advisory scale proves just how equally far in the forgotten past FDR’s four freedoms speech and the lessons of our founding fathers may be to American citizens today.

MANtone_colour imaging

more of Davies work on cultural identity and use of color

CULtural.CULours

Next i wanted to explore the cultural use of color. I had no idea how important color really is, and what kind of impact it can make. First i checked the basic definition of culture use of color at wikipedia and was amazed at the information i found, color actually has rich symbolism and a unique psychology.

In art, color symbolism refers to the use of color as a symbol throughout culture. Color psychology refers to investigating the effect of color on human behavior and feeling, distinct from photo therapy (the use of ultraviolet light to cure infantile jaundice).

Color symbolism and color psychology are culturally constructed linkages that vary with time, place, and culture. In fact one color may perform very different symbolic or psychological functions at the same place. Color symbolism is a contentious area of study dependent upon a large body of anecdotal evidence but not supported by data from well designed scientific studies.

There is a distinct definition of every color and what it implies, means and casts on art. For example i had no idea that the color grey came with so many implementations, Elegance, humility, respect, reverence, stability, subtlety, wisdom, old age, anachronism, boredom, decay, decrepitude, dullness, dust, entanglement, pollution, urban sprawl, strong emotions, balance, neutrality, mourning, formality, March.

Two blogs that help with comprehending cultureal uses of color are color meanings and color symbolism, which really gets into the psychy of major countries and the true connotations of color within those countries. A great designer to look at to help understand cultural uses of color would be Chaz Maviyane-Davies who has made a lasting impression on me personally as well as the world, with his design work ranging from culture, health, environment, society, politics, and global concerns.

comprehending_color

Sometimes, for me, color is the last thing I think about, and quit often something I dont even think about ever. I tend to be drawn to black and white images, from design work to my own photography, I simply love black and white. Most likely because I am intemiated by color, I think things dont look right, and dont particularly know what colors are best suitable for certain work. The fact of the matter is, color is intemidating, it can make or break a visual. What is wrong and what is right when it comes to color, what are the right colors for such works? I have found some really nice blogs and websites dedicated to understanding color and applying color to design work. Most importntly are the visuals that each of these links contain, they were absolutely crucial in helping me understand certain color patterns and combinations.

First is the blog, Design Lab 1: 2D Visual Arts Blog by Paul Notzold. Here Paul and a group of students give both textual and visual definitions of different color patterns, through self-portraiture. From analogous to double split complimentary, there is a wide range of helpful images and understanding.

Below are examples of one students experimentation with, analogous, cold, warm, monochromatic and triadic color schemes. Each with a different purpose and a different affect.

There are also many links here, so you can look at other students work to get even a more imagery and information on color schemes, and simply understanding color better.