The Power of Orange in Art: History, Meaning & Inspiration

Orange has always been one of my favorite colors to use in my artwork. It’s warm, bold, and full of energy. Unlike pink (a color I once resisted but later made peace with), orange has felt like home to me, and an anchor in many of my paintings.

Ongoing Ritual, 36"x36," oil on canvas, © Lynn Goldstein $3100

Historically, orange has held a fascinating place in art and culture. Before the 16th century, there wasn’t even a distinct word for it in English. Artists and writers referred to it as “yellow-red.” The color gained its modern name from the fruit, which had made its way from Asia to Europe through trade routes. Once the fruit became familiar, the color took on the name we know today.
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Artists through the ages have turned to it to capture both the vibrancy of the world around them and the emotional depth within. Take Frederic Leighton’s masterpiece Flaming June, painted in 1895. The glowing folds of silk practically radiate light, showing just how powerful orange can be in evoking passion and serenity at once.

Flaming June by Frederic Leighton, 1895
Leighton’s Flaming June may be the most iconic celebration of orange in art history.
​The folds of silk practically glow, reminding us how this color radiates both passion and serenity.

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​Vincent Van Gogh also made orange central to his palette, often pairing it with yellows and deep blues. Looking at his self-portraits, I’ve often thought it’s no accident, his warm skin tones were flattered by the very colors he used most in his paintings. My theory is that we are drawn to the colors that look good on us, both in life and in art.

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Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh, 1817, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Van Gogh often surrounded himself with warm colors like orange and yellow.
It was as a result of looking at Van Gogh's color palettes that I came to believe that we gravitate to colors that look good on us when we wear them. 

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​Orange continues to inspire contemporary artists too. Mark Rothko, for example, stripped the color down to its essence. In works like Orange and Yellow, he created glowing fields that pulse with intensity yet offer a meditative calm.

Mark Rothko — No. 13 (White, Red on Yellow), 1958, Metropolitan Museum of Art
This is a more modern abstract expressionist work.
The band of orange/yellow and the way the color fields glow, is powerful. Rothko's  luminous canvases show how orange can hold both intensity and quiet contemplation.”

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​For me, orange has always been about balance. Its vibrancy commands attention, yet it can also feel grounding. Whether in a fiery sunset, a field in autumn, or a swath of paint across a canvas, orange never fails to stir something in me. Orange is obviously one of my favorite colors. 

​What is your fave? Let me know in the comments.