What Connections Are There Between Color and Psychology?

The meaning of colors have changed throughout history as new pigments are discovered and as new symbolism emerges which prompts the question, “What connections are there between color and psychology?”. My work embodies the emotions evoked by colors within each piece ranging from purple’s representation of wealth, status and royalty, to yellow’s association to insanity via the Russian term for insane asylum. Throughout my investigation my pieces evolved from realistic, fully developed acrylic portraits, to symbolism, and to portraits with simplistic backgrounds. As I furthered my investigation, I experimented with using materials such as velvet, gold chord, and faux leafs to reflect the emotions rather than my original focus on body language and facial expression. This accentuated my evolution of the investigation through my experimentation of coming out of my comfort zone to go into more depth with the meaning behind each piece through my use of materials. As I continued to learn more about the emotions behind colors, I used more symbolic materials and expressions to pursue my underlying investigation on color’s relation to psychology.