Feeling Blue? Seeing Red?


Night of the Equinox Learn more about how artists use color to express moods in their art.

Some artists use color to say things that aren't easy to put into words. Look how different the mood seems in these two paintings—just because of their colors.

Cappy the Giraffe, from our educational website Bottlecaps to Brushes, will help you learn more about colors in art. Find even more activities in the book by the same name, Bottlecaps to Brushes.


Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music Pictured top: Charles Burchfield, 1893–1967, Night of the Equinox, 1917–55, watercolor, brush and ink, gouache, and charcoal on paper mounted on paperboard, 40 1/8 x 52 3/16 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation.

Pictured bottom: Alma Thomas, 1891–1978, Red Azaleas Singing and Dancing Rock and Roll Music, 1976, acrylic, 72 1/4 x 156 3/4 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of the artist.