Art and Design · Year 1 · The Magic of Colour · Autumn Term

Colour and Emotion in Art

Investigating how artists use colour to express mood. Students look at works by Van Gogh and Rothko to discuss feelings.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Art and Design - Painting
• KS1: Art and Design - Knowledge of Artists and Designers

About This Topic

Colour and Emotion in Art helps Year 1 students explore how artists choose colours to express feelings and moods. They examine Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night, with its deep blues and yellows conveying restlessness and hope, and Mark Rothko's large colour blocks that create calm or intensity. Children discuss why an artist might select blue over red for sadness, decide if a colour seems 'loud' or 'quiet', and predict how a background change alters a painting's mood.

This topic meets KS1 Art and Design standards for painting and knowledge of artists and designers. Students develop vocabulary to describe emotions through colour, practise close observation of artworks, and start to think critically about artistic choices. It builds emotional awareness and confidence in responding to art personally.

Active learning works well because children mix their own colours to paint feelings, such as cool blues for quiet moments or bright reds for excitement. Group discussions of peers' work and simple experiments with colour swaps make abstract ideas concrete, boost creativity, and encourage sharing emotional insights.

Key Questions

1. Analyze why an artist might choose blue for a painting instead of red to convey sadness.
2. Evaluate whether a colour can be described as 'loud' or 'quiet' in an artwork.
3. Predict how changing the background colour might alter the mood of a painting.

Learning Objectives

• Identify specific colours used by Van Gogh and Rothko in selected artworks.
• Explain how Van Gogh's use of blue and yellow in 'Starry Night' might convey restlessness and hope.
• Compare the emotional impact of Rothko's large colour blocks in different paintings.
• Evaluate whether specific colours can be described as 'loud' or 'quiet' within an artwork.
• Predict how changing the background colour of a painting might alter its overall mood.

Before You Start

Primary and Secondary Colours

Why: Students need to identify basic colours before they can discuss how artists use them to express feelings.

Introduction to Famous Artists

Why: Familiarity with artists' names and basic styles helps students connect specific artists to their work and techniques.

Key Vocabulary

Hue	Hue is another word for colour, like red, blue, or yellow. It is the pure colour itself.
Mood	Mood in art refers to the feeling or atmosphere an artwork creates for the viewer, such as happy, sad, or calm.
Contrast	Contrast happens when two colours are very different, like bright yellow next to dark blue. This can make colours seem more intense.
Warm colours	Warm colours, like red, orange, and yellow, often create feelings of energy, excitement, or happiness.
Cool colours	Cool colours, like blue, green, and purple, often create feelings of calmness, sadness, or peace.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

All blue colours mean sadness.

What to Teach Instead

Blues range from calm sky tones to deep melancholic shades; personal and cultural views vary. Mixing activities let students create and test their own blues, while peer discussions reveal diverse interpretations and build nuance.

Common Misconception

Artists choose colours by chance.

What to Teach Instead

Choices are deliberate to evoke specific emotions. Role-playing as artists during painting tasks helps students practise intentional decisions, and group critiques show how colour impacts viewer response.

Common Misconception

Only the subject matters for mood, not colour.

What to Teach Instead

Colour often leads emotional impact. Experiments like repainting scenes with colour swaps demonstrate shifts clearly, with students recording before-and-after feelings to solidify the concept.

Active Learning Ideas

Gallery Walk: Artist Feelings

Display prints of Van Gogh and Rothko works around the room. In small groups, students walk the gallery, note colours used and feelings evoked on sticky notes. Gather for a whole-class share-out to compare responses.

30 min·Small Groups

Colour Mixing: Mood Palettes

In pairs, provide primary paints and paper. Students mix colours to match emotions like happy or sad, naming their choices. Pairs present one palette to the class with reasons.

25 min·Pairs

Paint Your Emotion: Van Gogh Style

Individually, students choose a feeling and paint a swirling night sky inspired by Van Gogh, using colours to show mood. Display works for peer feedback on colour choices.

40 min·Individual

Background Challenge: Mood Shifts

In small groups, paint the same simple scene like a house, then swap backgrounds with different colours. Discuss how the mood changes and vote on most effective versions.

35 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Set designers for theatre and film use colour theory to establish the mood and setting for scenes. For example, a dark, cool colour palette might be used for a suspenseful moment in a play.
• Graphic designers choose colours for logos and advertisements to evoke specific emotions and attract target audiences. A toy company might use bright, warm colours to appeal to children and suggest fun.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

Give each student a card with a colour written on it (e.g., 'blue', 'red', 'yellow'). Ask them to write one feeling or mood that colour might express in a painting and name one artist we studied who used that colour.

Discussion Prompt

Show students two versions of the same simple drawing, one with a warm background and one with a cool background. Ask: 'How does changing the background colour make you feel differently about the picture? Which version feels more exciting? Which feels more calm?'

Quick Check

During a discussion about Van Gogh's 'Starry Night', ask students to hold up one finger if they think the blue is 'loud' and two fingers if they think it is 'quiet'. Follow up by asking why.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to introduce Van Gogh and Rothko to Year 1 Art lessons?

Start with large, colourful prints and simple questions like 'What feeling does this blue give you?' Read short artist facts focused on colour choices. Follow with hands-on copying of small sections to build familiarity without overwhelming young learners. This scaffolds discussion and personal response effectively.

What activities teach colour and emotion in KS1?

Use colour mixing for moods, gallery walks with artist prints, and painting challenges where students alter backgrounds to shift feelings. These build skills in observation, expression, and critique. Rotate formats to keep engagement high across a unit.

How does active learning help with colour and emotion in Art?

Active approaches like mixing paints to match feelings or group experiments with colour swaps turn theory into experience. Children physically feel colour power, discuss real-time responses, and refine ideas through peer input. This deepens emotional connections, boosts retention, and sparks creativity beyond worksheets.

Common misconceptions about colour in artworks for Year 1?

Pupils often think colours have fixed emotions or artists pick randomly. Address with mixing stations to explore variations and decision-making role-plays. Visual comparisons of artist works, plus mood-shift paintings, correct views through evidence and collaboration.