Plus Many Fascinating Facts About the Color Green
The color green generally signifies growth, harmony, health, life, spring, wealth, and many other positive qualities. Color experts agree this color provides hope more than any other colors.
Art that has this color is an excellent choice when you want to bring positive feelings into your home or office or healthcare facility.
As a “secondary” color, it is the color of light between the two “primary” colors blue and yellow on the visible spectrum. It combines the mental clarity and optimism from yellow with the emotional tranquility and insight from the color blue.
We are delighted to share many shades of green in art by several Art Gallery Members, and artists from our Art Reviews Series.
First, take a look at a few works of art by famous artists and their shades of green…
Famous Artists and Their Shades of Green
Georgia O’Keeffe and Shades of Green: This exquisite painting by Georgia O’Keeffe is a spectacular example of how using many different shades of light and dark green can provide drama and contrast while also creating a vaporous and soothing effect. O’Keeffe’s objectives in this painting, as suggested in the title, were to use light colors to represent light musical sounds and the darker colors to represent deeper and richer sounds.
Vincent Van Gogh and Green: Van Gogh’s two often used shades of green were Viridian, known in France as vert émeraude, and true emerald green — vert véronése. The artist often combined the two colors. A color green that Van Gogh never used is Chrome green.
Henri Matisse and “The Green Stripe”: The painting “The Green Stripe” is named for the green band that divides the face in half, by which Matisse sought to produce a sense of light, shadow, and volume without using traditional shading. The intense colourism of the works he painted between 1900 and 1905 brought him notoriety as one of the Fauves (French for “wild beasts”).
Henri Rousseau and Green: Henri Rousseau is known for his skillful use of intense color, especially green, to hold one’s attention. We see this in the enormous jungle scenes he painted at the end of his career. Vasari, a leading manufacturer of artists’ oil paints, created a color known as “Rousseau Green” described as “exuberant, lush, pale olive green summons the richness of Rousseau’s magical tableaux.” Rousseau stated, “When I go out into the countryside and see the sun and the green and everything flowering, I say to myself, ‘Yes indeed, all that belongs to me!'”
Interesting Facts About the Color Green: In art we find green in all mediums including sculpture. The Statue of Liberty was coated with a thin layer of copper, which turns a blue-green with age due to chemical reactions between metal and water. This process is known as patination and occurs with most copper when it is placed in contact with the outdoor elements. The green patina that forms naturally on copper and bronze is sometimes called verdigris.
Artists From The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS
Share Their Shades of Green
Artists’ names will take you to their pages.
Peter N. Van Giesen
Green is in Abundance Supply: There are more shades of green than that of any other color. The expansive range includes yellow-greens, such as kiwi, lime and avocado greens, to those greens with a touch of blue such as emerald, and those colors that are half green and half blue such as aqua and turquoise.
Nimi Trehan
Green as Sacred: Green was a sacred color to the Egyptians representing the hope and joy of spring. The floors of the temples were green.
Green and Relaxation: Green is the color that connects us to Mother Nature. It’s a relaxing color that soothes us with its gentle and peaceful undertones. Green symbolizes good health and it’s also a healing color as it offers a balance between our body and mind. It brings harmony.
Rajul Shah
A Spiritual Fact about Green: Green is the color of the Heart Chakra, also known as Anahata. This chakra is located at the center of the chest area and is linked to the heart, lungs, circulatory system, cardiac plexus, and the complete chest area. The Heart Chakra bridges the gap between the physical and spiritual worlds. Opening the Heart Chakra allows a person to love more, empathize, and feel compassion.
Therese Boisclair
About Green According to WinsorNewton.com: “There used to be a taboo associated with mixing colours including green (from blue and yellow) to such a point where anyone caught doing this could face punishment. During the Renaissance this taboo began to fade and artists mixed blue and yellow to make varying hues of green until 1775 when Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered copper arsenite; a green that would be very popular, but unfortunately contained a large amount of poison…”
Roopa Dudley
A Fascinating Fact about Green: Green is the color used for night vision goggles because the human eye is most sensitive and able to distinguish the most shades in that color.
Sandra Belitza-Vazquez
About the Color Green from a Color Expert: According to Kate Smith, color expert, “What happens to your body in the presence of green? Your pituitary gland is stimulated. Your muscles are more relaxed, and your blood histamine levels increase, which leads to a decrease in allergy symptoms and dilated blood vessels, aiding in smoother muscle contractions. In short, green is calming, stress-relieving, and – a bit paradoxically – invigorating. It’s been shown to improve reading ability and creativity.”
Janice Phelps Williams
Symbol of Fertility: Green has long been a symbol of fertility and was once the preferred color choice for wedding gowns in the 1400’s.
Symbol of Unity: There is a sense of togetherness in green that makes it the color of the unconditional love of family, nature, and the world.
Mitchell Rodbell ~ From Our Art Reviews
Mitchell has informed us, “As a women’s apparel designer for 40+ years, Green was always the best selling color, particularly in the South.”
The Color Green and Symbolism: The color green signifies mystical or magical properties in the stories of King Arthur. Green ribbons have been used by a range of environmental groups to symbolize organ donation and transplant, awareness of Bipolar Disorder, solidarity with Chechnya, and support of farmers in America.
Marni Spencer-Devlin ~ From Our Art Reviews
About Green in “Power Foods”: The painting “Pistachio” by Marni Spencer-Devlin reminds us the green hue is associated with good health. There is a plentiful supply of green foods also known as “power foods”. Fresh and green foods come together packed with vitamins and minerals, and a variety of health benefits.
Did you know that although the healthy and delicious pistacchio is called a nut, botanically it is a seed. People have been eating them for thousands of years. They are composed of 20% protein! Just looking at this painting bolsters my immune system!
Akshita Lad ~ From Our Art Reviews
About Green and Feng Shui: It is known as the color of nature, fresh energy and growth. Green is nurturing for the family and promotes prosperity and abundance. Place green in the Feng Shui Bagua areas of your home that represent Wealth & Blessings and Family.
Hiske Tas Bain ~ Special Friend
Hiske informs us that “The Empress”, shown above, is from the tarot and signifies, renewal, spring, fertility, and more.
U.S. Money and the Color Green: The color green was chosen for the U.S. because of long-lasting dye. When paper notes were introduced in 1929, the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing opted to use green ink because the color was relatively high in its resistance to chemical and physical changes.
About St. Patrick’s Day: March 17, commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks.
One of the reasons we wear green on St. Patrick’s Day is because of Ireland’s nickname, The Emerald Isle. The green stripe in the Irish flag also played a role.
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Green has always been my favorite color and now I know why! Thank you for the wonderfully healing and uplifting exhibitions your provide on this site Renee. I often refer people who are struggling with something to view this art.