col·or
noun
the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue.

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• primary and secondary colors
• warm, cool, and neutral colors
• color value, hue and intensity
• complementary colors and mixing them to make neutrals

Color

Color depends on light because it is made of light.

There must be light for us to see color.

A red shirt will not look red in the dark, where there is no light.

The whiter the light, the more true the colors will be.

A yellow light on a full-color painting will change the appearance of all the colors.

Color in Fine Art

Pierre Auguste Renoir - "Fruits from the Midi", 1881

Renoir painted this painting to emphasize the color and richness of the vegetables and fruits of France. It is basically a cool color with warm accents. Renoir was an Impressionist painter who used color to show depth and volume in his paintings.

Source: Elements and Principles of Design: Student Guide with Activities, published by Crystal Productions