Picture This: How Pictures Work

Related to art’s emotional weight, Bang muses that these reactions to colors and shapes are deeply rooted in evolutionary history and people’s instinctive reactions to the natural world. This suggests that primal associations form the basis of the powerful and universal language of visual communication.

One of the main ways Bang explores the primal nature of color is through her discussion of color’s psychological and physiological effects. She explains how people’s responses to color are often linked to their most basic experiences of the world around them. As she explains, “[W]e associate red with blood and fire, white with light, snow, and bones, black with darkness, yellow with the sun, blue with the sea and sky” (96). She refers to these objects as “natural constants” and explains that the association of colors with natural objects makes “perfect sense, in many cases they might have helped us stay alive” (96). By grounding the understanding of color in these primal, survival-oriented associations, Bang suggests that people’s responses to color are not merely cultural or personal but are deeply ingrained in their fundamental experiences of the world. Alongside evoking feelings, color can physiologically affect people. Bang uses red as an example, noting that people eat more in rooms painted red. These insights underscore the powerful nature of color as a visual language and highlight the importance of understanding and harnessing these associations in art.

Another way Bang illustrates the primal nature of visual elements is through the expressive potential of basic shapes and forms. She suggests that responses to different shapes are often based on people’s experiences of the physical world. For example, angular, jagged forms evoke danger or conflict (reminiscent of sharp teeth, claws, or rocks), while rounded, organic shapes feel more soothing and reassuring (reminiscent of soft, nurturing bodies or gentle landscapes). When talking about pointed shapes, Bang makes her descriptions visceral and rooted in the body:

Our skin is thin. Pointed objects can easily pierce us and kill us. What do we know that has sharp points? Most weapons are pointed: knives, arrows, spears, missiles, rockets; so are rocky mountains, the bows of boats that cut through the water, cutting tools like scissors and saw blades, bee stingers, teeth (89).

By connecting these basic shapes to primal, survival-oriented experiences, Bang emphasizes the deep-seated, instinctual nature of emotional responses to visual forms and highlights the power of these elemental building blocks in creating universally resonant visual narratives.

Bang also explores the primal nature of visual elements through her discussion of gravity in shaping people’s understanding of the world around them. She argues that humans feel gravity as a fundamental force in the natural world, which impacts the way they interpret and respond to visual information. Along with using this to engage with real environments, people are affected by implied gravity within a composition. For example, Bang explains how the instinctive understanding of gravity as a downward force influences the perception of horizontal lines and shapes as stable, secure, and grounded. Likewise, vertical lines and shapes are often associated with energy, growth, or aspiration. Similarly, the experience of gravity as a force that pulls objects toward the center of the Earth affects the interpretation of visual weight and balance. Larger, heavier shapes feel more dominant and anchored, while smaller, lighter shapes feel more dynamic and buoyant. By exploring these primal associations between gravity, orientation, and balance, Bang illuminates how humans’ most basic experiences of the physical world shape their understanding and appreciation of visual language. This underscores the deep and enduring connection between nature and the expressive power of art and design.