Making of Colour

Making of Colour

            On the 9^th of August I attended the Making of Colour exhibition at the National Gallery.  The exhibition explained where colours came from and how they were used during their popular time.  It also showed how we perceive colour and how the eye and brain work together to respond to colour.  Each room had a different colour to explore and learn about.

Blue

            When the colour blue was first popular it was very rare and precious.  For a long time the ‘richest blue available to painters was natural ultramarine’, this was made from lapis lazuli which is a semi-precious stone.  A few centuries ago, this blue was more expensive than gold.

            Smalt (which is a cobalt glass) is a deep blue coloured glass when it is ground down as a pigment.  This was used for pigment in paintings and ceramics and was quite popular as it was affordable.

 

This picture is of Joseph Mallord William Turner’s paintbox.  It is amazing that we can view objects like this in exhibitions as we can get an insight into the tools that were available in that century.  It just so happens that the housing estate which my parents live on in Sandhurst are all road names named after painters.  There is one in particular called ‘Turners Place’

 

 

 

Red

            Red paints were originally made out of vermillion mixed with oil or egg but they turned transparent.  So thicker colour was usually extracted from bodies of insects (blood) therefore, this is where I think this is why red known for the colour of blood.

Gold/Silver

            Gold and silver are not included in the spectrum of colours.  Gold was a very precious material to use in paintings, and it was used to dignify images.  Silver contrasts with the gold, unfortunately it tarnishes to brown/black very easily.

I really enjoyed this exhibition as it was big with lots of interaction.  There were lots of pictures to look at with colour description in each room, unfortunately we couldn’t take pictures but I bought some postcards of the paintings to remind me of colour theory.

Guest Lecture - 8th May

Guest Lecture

On May 8th 2014 I attended the guest lecture of Kochini Wong and Pachino Wan at Southampton Solent. The lecture focused on traditional Chinese theatre, colour theory and Paschio Wan's clothing line.

Kochini Wong

Kochini Wong studied at the Hong Kong design institute. He taught us colour theory and he composition of traditional Chinese theatrical make up. Before attending this lecture, I didn't analyse colour when watching films or theatre shows, however no I understand how colour works and what it could possibly mean, I take it into consideration when viewing all shows. Although the colour meanings are for Chinese opera theatre, I believe there are hints in English theatre.

Red - red represents loyalty and righteousness, this reminds me of the Queen of Hearts from Alice in wonderland because of her high power and status.

White - white represents deceitfulness, and is usually worn by soldiers in the army that are of high official.  Whereas to me, white represents purity and freshness and is usually worn by angels.  Characters that have Ying Yang design for their make up know how to run the army, this is where the white make up comes in.

Overall, I really enjoyed the presentation delivered by Kochini Wong as it was really interesting to learn about another cultures meaning of make up.  I feel like I learnt a lot and will incorporate these colour meanings into my next project.

Pachino Wan

Pachino Wan is a Hong Kong designer for the Hong Kong Chinese market.  He started a workshop 4 years ago and is famous for his production base.  He is now so successful he owns many shops in many countries including China, Canada and Australia.  To pitch to potential wholesalers, he made 24 miniature versions of his clothes and tiny mannequins to model them on.  This caught the eye of many retailers and this is where his career began.

His clothing is designed on Hong Kong in the 60’s and is so popular he has orders for 10-12 models at one time.  After watching Pachino Wan’s presentation I feel very inspired.  I feel like I could achieve anything if I put my mind to it, it has helped me focus for my second year at university and I am determined to finish with a first.