The Art of Green

CEBU, Philippines – The Pantone Color Institute has announced the color of the year to be “Greenery.” Put simply, it’s “Green” for 2017. The global color authority’s announcement reaffirms the significance of colors in the human experience. Indeed, color impacts various aspects of human life.

Perhaps the most obvious application of the value of colors is in art and design. For years, artists, color theorists and interior designers have used the power of color to bring forth a certain mood, observes the website www.finearttips.com. Color, the website points out, can quickly transform a dreary room into a cheery space. Painters, photographers and other creative minds devote time and effort in maximizing the effect of colors in their artwork to rouse up their viewers’ imaginations.

Technically, Green is a secondary color. It results from simply mixing together the primary colors Yellow and Blue. But as simply as Green color is formulated in art, its psychological effect is anything other than simple.

Green has both a warming and cooling effect. This is why it is the color associated with harmony and balance. It also has a calming effect and symbolizes hope, peace, gentleness and modesty. It is soothing, refined and civilized – with great healing power.

Green hues are particularly restful. It is the general color of nature – and nature has rich relaxation and therapeutic qualities. A bit paradoxically, Green is also energizing; it fires up the success-driven people with images of money, banking and finance, according to www.finearttips.com, adding that green gemstones are also believed to attract money, and wealth.

But Green also has its negative connotations. There’s a phrase “green with envy,” which refers to a negative emotion of insecurity. It sometimes denotes lack of experience; for example a “green-horn” is a novice, says www.finearttips.com. But these are plain jargons that do not really reflect the favorable experiential effects of the color.

For the most part, green suggests stability and endurance, hope and growth. It contains the powerful energies of nature, growth, rebirth and the desire for positive change and progress. On the whole, it is a refreshing and reassuring color.

Kate Smith, at www.sensationalcolor.com, hints that Green also symbolizes unrelenting commitment or unwavering loyalty. “True love is evergreen.” Smith even cites scientifically proven physical benefits of Green.  

The sight of Green stimulates the pituitary gland, she says. It relaxes the muscles, and increases the blood histamine levels, thereby decreasing allergy symptoms and dilated blood vessels, aiding in smoother muscle contractions. The color has also been shown to improve reading ability and creativity.

Many cultures around the world have high regard for the color Green. Most of the major paper currencies are in various shades of Green. In Japanese culture, Kate Smith relates, Green is associated with eternal life, and it is the sacred color of Islam, representing respect and the prophet Muhammad.

Since art is, in a way, a human attempt to imitate life, artists pay keen attention to the cultural, religious and mythological associations that people have with colors. They use these inputs to aid them in infusing particular meanings into their artworks. The results are often amazing.

Landscape artists and interior designers use Green for its cooling effect. The color brings a soothing element to the garden as it does to the room. Green plants visually recede, helping to make a small space appear larger.

Painters play with the color Green quite extensively. They use the color either to simulate reality or to give their works a certain mood. Green can be romantic, mysterious, even divine.

The color Green also makes for interesting fashion and jewelry designs. A green dress or gown usually stands out. And a green gemstone in a piece of jewelry is reputed to bring good vibes.

The other colors have their own artistic – and scientific – values as well. But for now the color Green rules. It is, after all, the color of the year. (FREEMAN)