Colour is an indispensable element of abstract art, yet it transcends cultural barriers. It has been applied differently by different people in different regions and cultures. Abstract art as a movement is a recent phenomenon in the art world; however, the use of colour in art has been experimented with for centuries. All the artists worldwide have tapped into the emotional and psychological power of colour. Still, their interpretation and expression are different due to the cultural context, historical background, and personal experience. This article explores the universal and culturally specific meanings of colour in abstract art by focusing on how artists all around the world use it to communicate without words.

The power of colour in abstract art

Colours here are not natural representations but a method to display emotions. Shapes and textures, along with colour mixing, have been the composition, creating a mood that gives a measure of emotions in a stream from serenity and coolness to unrest and utter chaos. The meaning the abstract art assumes depends mainly on opposition to realistic art, opposing the interpretation of nature to be bestowed on colour. Abstract art loves the non-representational, and it uses colour tied to a more psychological and cultural symbolic role. The effect of emotion evoked by red, blue, yellow, or green can be quite different from one context to another. In Western art, the use of red may represent passion, love, or anger; it symbolises good fortune and joy in some Asian cultures. Cultural differences have to be considered and understood properly in the analysis of abstract art.

The universal language of colour

Beyond these cultural differences, however, are some colour psychologies that seem to have a universal influence everywhere. Colour has an emotional effect on people, grounded in biology and psychology. Blue is the colour of calmness, trust, and stability, while yellow tends to symbolise happiness and optimism. These associations are not coincidental; they are grounded in natural experiences. For instance, a shade of blue paints a picture of the sky and the sea. The latter is understood as a symbol of peace, while the former often portrays peace as well. Likewise, yellow evokes in people's minds sunshine—often considered a symbol of warmth and energy.

Here, in abstract art, often it is through these colour associations that the artist creates particular moods or messages. For example, while blue may present peaceful solitude in a painting, yellow could be optimism in the chaos of the composition. Abstraction itself can even have very strong emotions, and even without a manifest narrative, the colours put together in an abstract can evoke very strong emotional responses that pull the viewer into the artist's subjective world.

The role of the cultural context in the interpretation of colour

Although many colour associations are nearly universal, cultural perspectives do play a significant role in the way colour is perceived and interpreted. That is why different cultures place their unique symbolic meanings on colours, which directly impact the reception and understanding of abstract art around the world.

Western interpretations of colour

The Western psychological implications of colour are often rooted in Christian iconography and Greco-Roman aesthetics. The colour red is the representation of love and passion as well as danger and anger. This duality is reflected in many abstract pieces using red to create a sense of intensity or emotional turmoil. The colour black is used in mourning and death, and white is used for purity and peace. For instance, Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman, among many others, did just that by exploiting emotional connotations of these fields of colour by eliciting very strong emotions. Indeed, for Rothko, big canvases used for his paintings were often full of reds, yellows, and browns, an immersion into a contemplative mood shared by the universal emotional power of colour.

Eastern interpretations of colour

Colours carry an extraordinary spiritual significance and symbolic meaning as well in the Eastern world, especially in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese philosophy. For example, red, in China, symbolises prosperity, joy, and luck. They use it in various festivals and weddings. There are instances when abstract Chinese artists make use of red in their works to indicate auspiciousness and celebration. While it symbolises purity, it carries far more adverse emotions than death and grief over it in most cultures and for the Chinese and Japanese people. Black reflects much more spirituality: a void, mystery, circle of life, death, rebirth, and then on.

Among abstract artists from Japan, a colour theme of black and white is seen in artists such as Yoshihara Jiro, which represents the yin-yang philosophy that requires an equilibrium of opposing forces. Contrasts of simple colours here are not only aesthetically done but also symbolized to represent balance and equilibrium.

African colour symbolism

Colours in African culture represent many things. The meaning associated with colours such as ancestry, tradition, or spirituality is very strong: gold represents prosperity and divinity. Through abstract African art, the meaning of this colour is used to define a kind of sacredness or divinity. Red is often the colour of vigour, whereas green always symbolises the colour of fertility and rebirth—the very qualities bestowed upon humankind through nature. Abstracted as it is in these, its colours alone are strong enough to evoke some sense of the vitality of life and some remnant connection to ancestral earth.

Today, African abstract artists like El Anatsui often use the colours of their cultures to illustrate themes of cultural identity, history, and how tradition interweaves with modernity. Their abstract works have layers of meaning based on African traditions.

Latin American colour perceptions

For them, colour is instinctively a matter of much emotional and political significance. Due to their pre-colonial roots and the colonial era itself, Mexican and Central American artists have always relied on vivid colours and tones to honour life, nature, and identity. Think how red may be for life and revolution or even hope and nature via green. Use, for example, colour from modern abstract artists like Carlos Cruz-Diez, but not aesthetically; it acts as a dynamic force within the perceptive process. Such a move pushes the barriers concerning colour perception, with Cruz-Diez working on the theory of colours and utilising interactive light installations. Such works provoke a viewer into thinking about connections between colour, space, and perception.

Global impact of colour in abstract art

In abstract art, colour is not only an aesthetic cue; it is also a strong language of emotions, thoughts, and ideas. Even though the association of colours is universally orientated, its determination is in the culture, as to how it would be construed. Abstract artists worldwide play with colour to incite responses based on universal psychological triggers as well as culturally specific symbolism. With increased global connectivity, artists and viewers become ever more sensitised to colour nuances as well as cross-cultural connotations of colour. A better understanding of these dynamics increases our appreciation of abstract art and opens up wider conversations on the role that colour plays in our universal human experience. In other words, colour in abstract art bridges cultures, emotions, and experiences to remind us all of the richness and diversity we live in.