In this space where feeling meets form, and colors communicate directly with our inner worlds, Nadormagazine spoke with visual artist Lubna Abdelkader El-Sarougy to explore how color shapes our perception of the world and reflects the emotional impact of art.
🎨 Do Colors Really Affect Our Emotions?
Lubna Abdelkader El-Sarougy, visual artist, affirms:
"There is an undeniable, deep connection between a person’s internal world — whether joyful or gloomy, logical or imaginative — and the universe of art and color. In painting, colors are alive and infinite, capable of altering moods, triggering feelings, and even transforming one's mental state."
Historically, artists have used pigments to express emotions and evoke responses in their audiences — a practice that dates back centuries.
📘 Are There Rules for Using Color in Art?
The scientific approach to color theory didn’t emerge until the 18th century, with Isaac Newton’s color wheel — a revolutionary concept that broke down white light into the seven rainbow colors:
Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
This wheel showed that spinning all these colors rapidly results in the human eye perceiving white — proving that white light is a combination of all visible colors.
Newton explained the physical nature of color, but not its psychological or emotional effects.
Later, German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1810) explored color from a perceptual and emotional perspective, connecting colors to mood states like clarity, seriousness, sadness, strength, and calmness.
In the 20th century, Professor Max Lüscher developed a diagnostic tool to analyze psychological traits based on color preferences — laying the groundwork for what we now know as color psychology, the study of how color influences human behavior.
Today, artists not only choose colors for aesthetics, but also to provoke emotions and thoughts in the viewer.
🎭 How Have Colors Shaped Artists' Lives?
Lubna continues:
“Many artists have gone through color-based stages that mirror their emotional and artistic evolution.”
A notable example is Pablo Picasso, who experienced two famous color periods:
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The Blue Period:Marked by themes of despair, poverty, and sadness, this phase saw Picasso using cool blue tones to reflect melancholy and emotional isolation.
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The Rose Period:Characterized by joyful reds, oranges, and pinks, this phase showed a renewed optimism, portraying circus performers, clowns, and warmer emotional tones.
These shifts in color demonstrate how deeply personal experience and emotional states are expressed through color choices.
🌈 Color and Emotion: Cultural, Biological, and Psychological Meanings
Despite ongoing debate about whether colors are universally linked to emotions, many studies support their influence on mood. Lubna explains:
"Colors influence us through a combination of biological instincts, cultural associations, psychological responses, and social experiences."
Here are some common color-emotion associations:
💚 Green
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Strongly linked to nature and renewal
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Symbolizes youth, health, prosperity, and growth
❤️ Red
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Often associated with anger and intensity, but also with passion, love, and emotional energy
💙 Blue
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Evokes calm, reflection, and peace
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Represents depth, freedom, and the infinite (like the sky and sea)
💛 Yellow
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Color of sunshine, joy, and positivity
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Stimulates the appetite and can boost mood — but overuse may cause restlessness or irritation depending on context
🧠 A Powerful Emotional Tool
Lubna concludes:
“The emotional impact of color is something we all experience — often without realizing it. Colors shape our moods, behavior, and even how we perceive the world around us. This is why therapists and psychologists often use colors in treatment — because of their healing and transformative effects.”
Ultimately, color is more than visual beauty — it is a language of emotion, a tool for expression, and a bridge between the artist and the audience. When used with intention, it becomes a powerful way to communicate with the heart and soul.
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