National Galleries of Scotland

We all experience colour differently. Our perceptions are influenced by biological, cultural, and psychological factors which vary for everyone. Colour is never neutral. These selected works showcase artists who harness the immersive power of colour, presenting contrasting works in dialogue.

Paintings and prints with colourful shapes by Helen Frankenthaler and Corita Kent are juxtaposed with artworks that use colour to tell a story or evoke a sense of place, like Roger Brown’s Misty Morning. For centuries artists have used colour to express energy, movement, nature and space, discord and harmony. This approach is shared equally by abstract and representational art. Artists understand that colour can provoke reactions from their viewers – its impact can be surprising, joyful, and even overwhelming.  

Colour is both a personal experience and shaped by progress in science, industry, and technology. These artworks span a century of immense change in the manufacture and availability of paint products. These advances altered how artists handled colour: new materials leading to new techniques.  By the early 20th century, paints were made on an industrial scale, creating vast colour ranges for artists like Josef Albers to choose from, straight from the can or tube.  

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