The Color Blue In Goethe's 'Strange Color'

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The color blue is regarded as peculiar color by Goethe because it is a powerful hue that can be perceived as exciting and repose. Goethe mentions that blue is the opposite of the color yellow because blue is always accompanied by darkness while yellow is always accompanied by darkness. Since blue is very close to darkness thus it may give away negative emotions. “The appearance of objects seen through a blue glass is gloomy and melancholy” (Goethe, p. 171). His description of the color blue is similar to the description of the state of mind of being blue. The blue can produce a feeling of emptiness and sadness that can be an undesirable effect upon individuals. When blue is lighter in appearance, the emotional perception of blue becomes …show more content…

According to Goethe, red conveys a phenomenon of gravity and dignity, and at the same time feelings of grace and attractiveness (Goethe, p. 173 ). Similar to the color blue, emotions produced by the color red vary greatly. Goethe refers to red as a peculiar color that ranges from its deep dark state and its lighter weaker tint. Also, the color can possess the dignity of age and the amiableness of youth can be both represented by the color red (Goethe, p. 173). Goethe essentially means that red can represent the worthiness of individuals of old age while representing pleasantness of individuals of young age. “The red glass exhibits a bright landscape in so dreadful a hue as to inspire sentiments of awe” (Goethe, p. 173). Red produces feelings of wonderment and admiration in which brand personalities that use red similarly try to represent. Netflix and Target are two brands that use red exclusively in their logos. Netflix’s brand personality is heavily geared around producing feelings of excitement through entertainment. Their logo is primarily text based with a red background behind it. The bold red logo is synonymous with producing feelings of awe with consumers because is known for their overwhelming video selection. Target brand personality is very bold and friendly to consumers. Their red bull eye logo is bold on its own and its similarly produces feelings of wonderment. Although …show more content…

He focuses on the psychology of viewing art and gives unique attention to the perception of color. According to Arnheim the absence of color deprives the most efficient element of discrimination (Arnheim, 1974, p. 330). He uses the example of cats and dogs because they are biologically color blind. These animals would be able to efficiently identify a rolling ball on a lawn if they could perceive color. Cats and dogs can only differentiate objects because of the different textures in their environment. This example shows the importance of having the ability to perceive color because it allows for us to discriminate our world properly. Arnheim also highlights one cannot assume that different people or different cultures have the same standards for what colors are alike or different (Arnheim, p. 332). Different cultures may distinguish colors of plants better than cultures who are more industrialize. A tribe that is heavily involved in agricultural may possess more words to describe the different hues of green in their crops more superiorly than differentiating different hues of blue. Although Arnheim states that the color person is the same across for individuals of different backgrounds, ages, and cultures. The differentiation of color can vary from different groups of people but the perception of color would generally by similar.

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