This can pertain not only to the lover of art, but also the artist.
I know I will be shot down in flames for this comment, but, as an artist myself, we secretly do have our preferences, even though we paint commissions to suit the occasion, the client or the décor.
But here I will concentrate on the buyer of art rather than the artist.
Often colour, an effective and versatile tool, defines the character of a room, an office or an entire home, and will influence the way a person reacts to an environment, both emotionally and physically.
Colour also has its associations, blues and creams for the seaside home and whites and light neutrals for the purist.
However, it appears, and according to interior decorators, that people will unconsciously gravitate to one end of the spectrum rather than the other, where colour choices are made usually based on a combination of hard logic and pure emotion.
Having said all of the above, there are buyers who buy art for other reasons.
The collector who follows the career of a “new” artist on the block, who appears to have potential, will over the years purchase the new artist’s best works as an investment; this being completely independent of colour.
There are collectors who buy only wildlife paintings or landscapes and, once again, colour plays little part in their choices.
Then, apart from subject matter, a person might want to concentrate on the media, such as water colours, oils or pastels, for their collection.
The effect colour has on the individual is noticeable, especially at art exhibitions, where someone will edge quietly to a painting, perhaps an abstract full of random colour, while another individual will stare admiringly at a painting of purple irises (see William Kentridge’s latest exhibition) or a large painting of colourful buildings.
Subject matter of a painting can be especially important to the home decorator, whether employed by the home owner, or the buyer herself.
“I want ballet dancers for my little girl’s room; her colours are blue and pink.”
These are very specific instructions.
The same goes for the busy person who wants a “quiet” main bedroom; “no blacks, no dark browns, no dazzling whites either”, and so the interior decorator or artist is bound by colour limitations.
An artist should be allowed some licence though, in the above cases, where darker or different colours can be used as backgrounds, the odd leaf, or a building, shadow areas and so on.
These client limitations can sometimes backfire, as the end product will effect an attitude of “that’s not quite what I had in mind”.
One of my favourite client expressions, when ordering a portrait is: “Can you make me look at least 10 years younger, and lose a couple of kilos around the hips?”!
Enjoy colour, it is all around us. Featured image by Cathy Verheul.
