From Caravaggio to Caspar David Friedrich: Colour in Art in the 17th and 18th Centuries with Clare Ford-Wille

Colour has a vital part to play in our understanding and enjoyment of painting and sculpture. The study day will explore how colours were made and used by artists and sculptors from 17th to the late 18th centuries and the sheer variety of colour is outstanding from the rich ranges of browns, yellows and reds in the work of Rembrandt to the solid blocks of colour seen against a very dark background in the work of Caravaggio. Colour is vital in the understanding of a composition, the subject and meaning of a painting or sculpture, whether used in fresco, tempera, oil, pastel, or watercolour.  The placing of distinct colours throughout the composition can direct the eye and intensify the impact upon the spectator. Colours, such as red and green or blue and yellow, can be symbolic or can identify figures such as Mary Magdalene or St. Peter, in order to clarify a religious narrative for the viewer.  Careful placing of subtle and varying colours in brushstrokes which, when seen from the correct distance, can appear as gold tassels, silver embroidery or facial expression in the work of Frans Hals, Velazquez, Rubens or Rembrandt. How were colours and their application used to create these effects?

During the 17th century colour was used to powerful effect even in sculpture, such as that of Bernini, as not only could his cutting of the marble produce dramatic light and shade, but his use of fresco combined with stucco, coloured marbles and gilded wood produced unforgettable colour, for example in the Ecstasy of Santa Teresa, as well as the riot of colour in the ceiling frescoes of 17th century Rome by his contemporaries. Rubens was a master of colour in all his work, but particularly in his remarkable oil sketches, where just enough colour was provided to show his intentions, so that the sketches could be created in finished works by his assistants.

Dutch artists used colour to create a reality of northern daylight in the realism of Dutch landscape as in the work of Hobbema or the cloud effects in the work of Jacob van Ruisdael.  Nowhere is this better seen too than in the work of Vermeer. Still life can be a wonderful miraculous vehicle in the use of colour whether in the work of Jan Brueghel the Elder, Chardin or the ebullient flower pieces of de Heem.

By the 18th century, with the advancement in chemistry, botany and minerology, new colours began to be discovered, such as Prussian Blue or Mauve.  Pastels which could be made in a huge range began to be used to wonderful effects in the work of Chardin and Liotard. Colour was transformed in the light sunny tones in the decorative paintings of Boucher or Fragonard. Interior decoration was similarly transformed in the frescoes of Tiepolo and his son. 

In venue (Winchester) and online via Zoom

Part of the 2026 Jean Bolton Memorial Study Course Colour in Art.  

Course Outline:

Colour has a profound impact on our perceptions, attention, experiences and emotions making it a powerful element in life and in the arts.  This series of lectures seeks to explore the role and impact of colour in different periods of history and geographical locations as well as identifying the sources, composition and development of artistic materials.  We will also explore the symbolism, meaning and spiritual significance of colour. Examples will demonstrate the power of colour to attract and focus attention, express and impact emotion, intensify experience, and communicate non-verbally.  The series will also explore the varying status and importance of colour verses drawing and line and variations including: vibrant v. muted, oil pigments v. egg tempera, watercolour and fresco and the development of materials over the historical periods.  In some sessions attention will also be given to the particular role of Venice as a supplier of pigments and source of important developments. Links between the concept of colour in visual, musical and auditory art forms will be made in some sessions.  The 5 study days will cover the Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods in Western European Art together with the Nineteenth century in Western and Eastern European Art.  

You can book for the whole course or just individual days. 

• Thursday 29th October 2026 - Art and Colour in the Middle Ages 
• Friday 6th November 2026 - Renaissance Colour: Innovation, Theory and Practice
• Friday 13th November 2026 - From Caravaggio to Caspar David Friedrich: Colour in Art in the 17th and 18th Centuries 
• Friday 20th November 2026 - Innovations in Colour: European Painting and Sculpture, 1800-1900 
• Thursday 26th November 2026 - From the Red Corner to the Green Stripe: The Colours of Ukrainian and Russian Art