HOW TO READ COLOR IN A PAINTING is a series of introductory lessons about color that I posted on my blog. They are based in the material I use in my art workshops. If you are interested in organize art workshops on this subject, please contact Gonzalo Ruiz for further information: ruiznavarro@yahoo.es

The title of my classes about color "how to read color in a painting" is another way of saying that visual arts have a language and we can learn to read it to understand it better. Fortunately we can enjoy seeing a painting without having greater knowledge of color theory, unlike reading a novel, for which we have to recognize the alphabet. But my experience is that the more you know about the color the more you can enjoy a painting. If you know what the properties of color are and how colors interact with each other, then you will be more sensitive than you were before, only with your instinctive approach. Which is not to say that when I paint or see a picture I do so from an analytical perspective, saying that this is a complementary pattern or a picture in high key, for example. Most of the time my attitude is instinctive and emotional, but I think subconsciously influenced by my prior knowledge of color theory.