red yellow blue green purple orange

RED

YELLOW

BLUE

GREEN

PURPLE

ORANGE

REDExcitement, energy, passion, love, desire, speed, strength, power, heat, aggression, danger, fire, blood, war, violence, all things intense and passionate.

In ancient Egypt, red was associated with life, health, and victory. It was also associated with heat, destruction, and evil.

The Romans associated red with Mars, the god of war.

During the French Revolution, Red became a symbol of liberty and personal freedom

RED

Henri Matisse,Harmony in Red, 1908.

RED

Mark Rothko, Four Darks in Red, 1958, Oil on canvas.

YELLOWJoy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship.

In tenth century France, the doors traitors and criminals were painted yellow.In Aztec culture, yellow symbolized food because it was the color of corn.

YELLOW

Mark Rothko, Yellow and Gold, 1956. Oil on canvas.

BLUEPeace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, conservatism, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant.

In Egypt, blue was associated with the sky and with divinity.

In Byzantine art Christ and the Virgin Mary usually wore dark blue or purple.

BLUE"Cobalt [blue] is a divine color and there is nothing so beautiful for putting atmosphere around things…" -- Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh, Starry Night Over the Rhone, 1888, oil on canvas.

BLUE

Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist, 1903-04, oil on canvas.

GREENNature, environment, healthy, good luck, renewal, youth, spring, generosity, fertility, jealousy, inexperience, envy, misfortune, vigor.

In Ancient Egypt, green was the symbol of regeneration and rebirth, and of the crops made possible by the annual flooding of the Nile.

In China, jade stones represent virtue and beauty.

GREEN

Henri Matisse, Madame Matisse or The Green Stripe, 1905. Oil and tempera on canvas.

PURPLERoyalty, nobility, spirituality, ceremony, mysterious, transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance, mourning.

Roman Emperors were referred to as "The Purple" -- a name that came from the color of the robe he wore.

During Victorian times, for the first year following a death, black was worn by close relatives and was gradually replaced by other dark colors, often by purple.

PURPLE

Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1963.

ORANGEEnergy, balance, enthusiasm, warmth, vibrant, expansive, flamboyant, demanding of attention.

Native Americans associate the color orange with kinship.

In China and Japan, orange is used to symbolize happiness and love.

ORANGE"Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow." -- Wassily Kandinsky

Wassily Kandinsky, Impression III: Concert, 1911. Oil on canvas.