This painting went through a few transitions of background colour before I settled on the complementary orange and blue. Colour (or a complete lack of it) always contributes in some way towards a painting, as it possesses one of the strongest attachments to emotion. In this case, the enveloping orange around the horse creates a clash with the surrounding blue, giving the painting - and the horse - more energy. It is also a knocking down of the fourth wall, so to speak - a theatre term that tells the viewer that yes, you are indeed looking at art, that the artist (or actor, writer, etc.) is not attempting to fool you, but is putting it out there as art.
This painting went through a few transitions of background colour before I settled on the complementary orange and blue. Colour (or a complete lack of it) always contributes in some way towards a painting, as it possesses one of the strongest attachments to emotion. In this case, the enveloping orange around the horse creates a clash with the surrounding blue, giving the painting - and the horse - more energy. It is also a knocking down of the fourth wall, so to speak - a theatre term that tells the viewer that yes, you are indeed looking at art, that the artist (or actor, writer, etc.) is not attempting to fool you, but is putting it out there as art.
For more on Colour, see my blog from March 2024.