Yellow is a Powerful Color With Many Healing Benefits
Yellow is the color we associate with the sun. It is the brightest color of the visible spectrum, and it is the most noticeable of all colors by the human eye.
Scientific studies have shown that yellow is a good color to strengthen the nerves, stimulate communication and collaboration, enhance mental clarity and encourage laughter, fun, joy and hope.
Art with copious amounts of yellow induces feelings of vitality and renewal. In healthcare, it is used to accelerate the body’s natural healing process. Art with yellow is an excellent choice in medical facilities, especially after-surgery recovery rooms.
Yellow is a primary color in subtractive color systems and the color between orange and green on the spectrum of visible light. The color yellow and its many tonal and chromatic variations offer the artist a myriad ways to use it — either in its full strength or diluted.
The artist may choose to apply it generously to saturate a work of art or use it sparingly as a glowing accent. Whatever intentional formula or intuitive process the artist uses, when yellow emerges in their artwork, it is a color that cannot be ignored.
Did you know these historical facts about the color yellow?
You will find yellow in prehistoric cave paintings in various locations all over the world. The cave paintings of Lascaux, France, created between 17,000 and 12,000 years ago portrayed animals and abstract shapes with vivid tones of yellow. The pigments back then used were made from minerals.
The word yellow comes from the terms ‘geolu’ and ‘geolwe’, which both are from Old English, which in turn is derived from the Germanic ‘gelwaz’.
Vincent van Gogh devoted almost the entire painting to different shades of yellow in his still life painting “Vase with Fourteen Sunflowers”. He created many paintings of sunflowers and gave one to Gauguin. About the Sunflower painting he stated, “It’s a type of painting that changes its aspect a little, which grows in richness the more you look at it. Besides, you know that Gauguin likes them extraordinarily.”
Art history informs us, J. M. W. Turner’s watercolor palette included the color Indian Yellow. Later the Scottish Colorists adopted it in oil form. Turner expressed many aspects of technological, political and social reforms taking place in society, capturing. He was especially known for capturing the magnificence of natural sunlight. He was so obsessed with his palette of bright whites and burning yellows that one critic even suggested he had “yellow fever”.
Claude Monet used yellow as a focal point in this painting titled “Water Lily Pond, Evening”. His inspiration was the water lily pond in his garden. Monet bought a piece of land next to his house at Giverny, France, in 1892, and transformed it into a Japanese water garden “for the pleasure of the eye, and for motifs to paint.” It has been reported that Monet created 250 oil paintings as part of his Water Lily series from the late 1890s to his death in 1926.
The painting “Bedroom in Arles” depicts van Gogh’s bedroom at 2, Place Lamartine in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, known as the Yellow House. Van Gogh’s own title for this composition was simply The Bedroom (French: La Chambre à coucher). There are three authentic versions described in his letters, easily distinguishable from one another by the pictures on the wall to the right.
Yellow in Art by Some Artist Members
of The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS Online Art Gallery
Consider bringing art created with the power of yellow and its many positive attributes into your home or office. Shown here are gorgeous paintings by artist members.
Visit their pages to view more of their artwork. Visit their websites and contact them directly to purchase their artwork.
Yellow in Poetry: Poets writing about the color have often focused on the yellow leaves of autumn, or the yellow hair of a woman, or yellow sun-filled sky. American poet Wallace Stevens wrote, “The yellow glistens. It glistens with various yellows, Citrons, oranges and greens, Flowering over the skin.”
Yellow in Various Cultures: In Japan, yellow is the color of courage. In Ancient Egypt, yellow was associated with gold, which was considered to be imperishable, eternal and indestructible. The ancient Romans used yellow in their paintings to represent gold and also in skin tones. It is found frequently in the murals of Pompeii.
Sandra Belitza-Vazquez
Yellow in Nature: The color yellow appears often in nature, and can be seen in fruit like lemons, flowers like tulips and rose, and animals including tigers, giraffes, some reptiles and fish, insects like bees and butterflies, and birds including canaries and ducklings.
Yellow with Other Colors: Artists know that the color yellow is bright alone, yet it appears brighter when juxtaposed with its complementary color purple. When used with either of its analogous colors red or green it has a different effect.
Tanis Bula
Yellow Sunflowers: The sunflower’s yellow color symbolizes vitality, intelligence, and happiness and also traditionally symbolizes friendship.
Yellow and Chakras: In the realm of metaphysics, yellow is used to symbolically represent the third, solar plexus chakra (Manipura).
Therese Boisclair
Yellow and Van Gogh: He wrote: “There is a sun, a light that for want of another word I can only call yellow, pale sulfur yellow, pale golden citron. How lovely yellow is!”
Yellow and Kandinsky: He believed: “The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with base notes, or dark lake with the treble.”
Art From Our Art Reviews
Kristen Palana
Yellow and Mental Stimulation: Yellow stimulates the left side of the brain, which promotes logical thinking. That’s why it is a good choice for a room used for studying.
And, when used prominantly at networking and membership events the color yellow has proven effective in producing mutual collaboration.
Carole Claude T
“Yellow is the colour of the 3rd chakra/solar plexus linked to healthy self-esteem, confidence and resilience. Flowers, from little yellow daisies to big sunflowers, give us the confidence to grow and shine our ‘light’ – like the gentle setting sun also found in so many artworks.” ~ Carole Claude T.
Rina Rox
Yellow and Moods: With its effortless innocence, the color yellow resonates deeply with children and the cheerful and lively hue inspires positivity.
Yes! Yellow is the colour of the 3rd chakra/solar plexus linked to healthy self-esteem, confidence and resilience. Flowers, from little yellow daisies to BIG sunflowers, give us the confidence to grow and shine our ‘light’ – like the gentle setting sun also found in so many artworks :-))
The color yellow speaks about calm, reality, truth, endurance, and lastly sorrow. Many who were sick, described times when they experienced all of these, some eventually succumbed to their disease, but they had some comfort with various shades of yellow around them. For a 90 years old who suffered from Dementia for 3 years, a yellow scarf mixed with colors of orange, red and green was her comfort piece.
Dear Bonita, Thank you for sharing that very interesting information about the color yellow! May you enjoy all the positive benefits of color and none of the negative aspects. 🙂
Yellow is a cheery color and always makes me smile. I enjoyed this beautiful exhibit.
Renee,
Color has such impact and so this exhibit on yellow
Works was wonderful. I’ve invested in a few books
That speak of perspective and energy as it’s the
Message given as we make choices. Loved it!