Disruption in Art: A Study on Colour and Emotion Through Ellsworth Kelly’s Red Green as a Disruptive Piece

This research considers Ellsworth Kelly’s Red Green as an artistic disruptive practice that contributes to the deconstruction of some of the hidden structures that form society as a group of individuals with a shared identity and common history. Ludwig Jäger’s approach to disruption has been the trigger to believe that the colours red and green could be unveiling the raw medium that relies under Kelly’s final message. However, the problem arises when realising that the message depends on the individual who reads it and their concepts of colour. For this, the paper has elaborated on colours’ faculty to evoke emotions by focusing on their cultural associations, which might have shaped those feelings like collective experiences with coloured objects or different definitions of colours. Here language becomes of great importance for the investigation. Besides, for the purpose of narrowing the context of disruption, imagined scenarios of disruption have been taken into account, allowing...Show moreThis research considers Ellsworth Kelly’s Red Green as an artistic disruptive practice that contributes to the deconstruction of some of the hidden structures that form society as a group of individuals with a shared identity and common history. Ludwig Jäger’s approach to disruption has been the trigger to believe that the colours red and green could be unveiling the raw medium that relies under Kelly’s final message. However, the problem arises when realising that the message depends on the individual who reads it and their concepts of colour. For this, the paper has elaborated on colours’ faculty to evoke emotions by focusing on their cultural associations, which might have shaped those feelings like collective experiences with coloured objects or different definitions of colours. Here language becomes of great importance for the investigation. Besides, for the purpose of narrowing the context of disruption, imagined scenarios of disruption have been taken into account, allowing the concept of imagination to support the research. For this, the notions of the colours red and green have been explored in order to provide a deeper understanding of Ellsworth Kelly’s Red Green while considering the extent to which imagination plays a role in disruption. Then, the paper evidences the reciprocal relationship between language and imagination and reaches the conclusion that language ensures the continuation of society’s power structures. Nonetheless, it is suggested that language could be, at the same time, the tool that allows the creation of new imagined scenarios.Show less

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Disruption in Art: A Study on Colour and Emotion Through Ellsworth Kelly’s Red Green as a Disruptive Piece