To send light into the darkness of men’s hearts – such is the duty of the artist. ~Schumann
For anyone who has been to a former Eastern Bloc country in January, you know what gray is. I think there is a whole definition for the shade based on the lack of color in the former-communist regions. Gray is everywhere.
Ethereal fog, leaden clouds, dirty snow, shabby winter clothes, and masses of Communist-Grey buildings typify the winter—the long winter—in Prague. There is no color. It is a monochromatic, ashen, and notably depressing world here in Czech, doused with dirty snow … until a fresh snowfall cleanses the landscape back to winter white.
To bring cheer to an otherwise drab world, I crave color at this time of year. Here, a collection of photographs saturated with color, my favorite remedy for color-starved eyes.
Ruby Red
Flaming Orange
Sunny Yellow
There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. -Pablo Picasso
Emerald Green
Lime Green
No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist. ~Oscar Wilde
Blue
Purple
Color possesses me. I don’t have to pursue it. It will possess me always, I know it. That is the meaning of this happy hour: Color and I are one. I am a painter. – Paul Klee
The world is brighter, happier, more vivid because of color … and life becomes a reflection of the lens through which we see it. Enjoy dabs of color in the bleak light of winter, and look forward to a color-filled Spring!
Starting the Conversation: What colors soothe you at this time of year? What inspires you in the deep of winter?