Essay about Color in Architecture | Aesthetics and Criticism Master Degree in Architecture | University of Beira Interior – Portugal This essay intends to relate one of the space composition aesthetics dimensions, the color, with Architecture, seeking to understand the influence of color in the changes of the perceptions, emotions and aesthetics issues of the different architectural spaces. Color is present in every human environment and it’s captured by the human vision. It’s interpreted by the brain and it’s from here that the human being, individually, develops positive or negative sensations/ reactions and consequently
makes aesthetics judgments
related with the space livings and the way that color It’s applied in that same spaces. The color is understood as an integrant element of the space. Not just in the natural environment, but more and more in the urban space, identifying itself as an organizer, creator and key driver element not only of the urban spaces but also of the architectural ambiences. The color allows the individualization of the urban spaces, the creation of a unique identity, impossible of repeat or copy. The urban images individualize themselves, and become identity of each different place. “[…] the color transforms the spaces and the perception that we have from them, shape the landscape and change the physiognomy of the cities, becoming forming part of the image and identity of the urban space.”1 Analyzing the evolution of the human being, we notice that the color has been always present, since first times of history, with the cave paints, passing through the decorative elements in the Egyptian Civilization and more recently, in the several artistic styles, such as the Renaissance, Barroco, Gótico, among others. Nowadays, we see color in Architecture by its application on the building facades, which can be compared to enormous canvas/ murals. The architect is the “plastic artist” and there, he can express his ideas and his vision of the world. One of the most important elements that allow the existence of color is the light. Without her, natural or artificial, it’s impossible for the human being realize its existence. The color is a highly-shifting matter, in which its characteristics (intensity, hue, saturation and luminosity) depends on and vary with the quantity and quality of the light that shines on them (colors) and that exists in space, allowing the observer, a larger variety of chromatic scale. “Color changes with the light, illumination, weather state, and the passing through time.”2 However, not only the light changes the perception of colors. The fact that each individual has their own interpretation and perception, makes colors vary too, becoming the
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Cristina Pinheiro in As Cores da Cor – Dissertação de Mestrado Em Arquitectura Original: “[…] a cor transforma os espaços e a percepção que temos deles, modela a paisagem e transforma a fisionomia das cidades e faz parte integrante da imagem e identidade do espaço urbano.” 2 Jean-François Lyotard in O Inumano. Original : “A cor muda consoante a luz, as iluminações, o estado do tempo e o tempo que passa.”
color not only a shifting matter, but also a subject matter that depends and changes from person to person, not being a concrete and defined issue. Therefore is possible to say that color has a symbolic, emotional and aesthetic component, that are related each other, allowing that the observer, through his particular livings, withdraw his informations. When color is applied to architecture, it is intend that who live those spaces would be able to interpret them, enabling the creation of aesthetics judgments about them. This aesthetic judgment relates with the emotions/ reactions that is generated by color in people, with the symbolism that is associated with each color, with the experiences and livings of each individual, with the cultural livings, among others. “[…] the color it’s a cultural phenomenon, cultural strictly, that is lived differently dependent of eras, societies and civilizations changes”3 Thus, we can say that color, depending on the era and society, was and is presented to us on different forms, importance and symbolism, individualizing each era. Thus occurs when we apply color on a determinate urban or architectural space, which is qualified of a unique and single chromatism, which differs from the others. when we talk about color in architecture, we have to obligatory refer the various elements that are connected to her, such as the different used materials, their characteristics, tones, paintings, among others. For John Ruskin, art philosopher, the color applied to the architecture, only serve for distract and change the perception that people have of the object, it means, the truth of the shape, disturbing thus the direct relationship between conception, production and visual perception. The more important, for an architect, when he projects a building, independently of its use as a habitation or public service, relates to the use that people do of the space, the personal way to appropriate the different spaces, such as exteriors or interiors, translating into the emotional spontaneous reaction that people have when see things for the first time. “(…) color, unlike the shape/figure, seems to subtract the context of the circumstances, the conjecture in general, to any plot, for its “effect”, for its power of change feelings […].4 This is, due to its subjective character, the colors, allows the most varied emotions and a total liberty of feelings. From this sensorial experience, people automatically create aesthetics judgments about what they are witness, such for example, if determinate space is pleasant or not, if they like or not and why.
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Michel Pastaureau in Dicionário das Cores do Nosso Tempo – Simbólica e Sociedade Original: “ (…) a cor é um fenómeno cultural, estritamente cultural, que se vive diferentemente segundo as épocas, as sociedades e as civilizações.” 4 Jean-François Lyotard in O Inumano Original : “(…) a cor, ao contrário da forma/ figura, parece subtrair-se às circunstâncias do contexto, à conjectura e em geral, a qualquer intriga, pelo seu “efeito”, pelo seu poder de afectar os sentimentos (…).”
“Color is a visual space component (…) its property of the matter that configures it. It’s the attribute of light that makes its visible. It is inherent to the observer which makes it sensitive”.5 Considering the facade of a building a canvas/ mural of large extension, in similarity to the existing murals in the Renaissance, this is directly exposed to the look of the passers and how bigger was the modification created on her, bigger will be the noticed that she will have in space and more diversified will be the perceptions allowed by her. The perception and interpretation of color in architecture, not only depends of the explosion to the light, but also, due to the materiality of the objects/ materials used in the construction of the architectural object. In this way, color allows that the public space take on a new aesthetic value, becoming more richer, as it allows a new and wide range of feelings and emotions to the people that pass by and live, encouraging the discussion. However, and according to José Aguiar, “[…] there not exists among us a true aesthetic conscience of color […]”6 Color interferes in a way of how we understand and live a determined space, understanding it as a unifier of the space, allowing reading the several elements as one piece. Color makes also the highlight for some details, or little notes to make distinction among the several similar elements (example: the Houses of Ribeira, Porto, shows a lots of similar elements and each color allows a unique distinction between them, creating a cozy, inviting, harmonic and balanced ambient with the surrounding environment, such as Douro River). “Color introduces a sensible and emotive dimension on the atmosphere staging and in the architectural representation. […] The materiality of architecture makes the color is implied on the characterization of the space structure”7. Thus, the color when applied in architecture presents fundamentally an emotional and sensorial paper, on which the color harmony translates into an improvement of the living and in an aesthetic aspect valorization associated to a set of building. People feel happier and pleased to live in and cared colored places, because color works as an redevelopment space and which people seek care.
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Rui Barreiros Duarte in Arquitectura Ibérica – Cor, Nº21, Página 11 Original: “A cor é componente do espaço visual (…) É propriedade da matéria que a configura. É atributo da luz que o torna visível. É inerente ao observador que o torna sensível.” 6 José Aguiar in Cor e Cidade Histórica – Estudo Cromático e Conservação do Património Original: “(…) não existe entre nós uma verdadeira consciência estética da cor (…)” 7 Rui Barreiros Duarte in Arquitectura Ibérica – Cor, Nº21, Página 8 “A cor introduz a dimensão sensível e emotiva na encenação das atmosferas e da representação da arquitectura (…) A materialidade da arquitectura faz com que a cor esteja implicada na caracterização da estrutura do espaço.”