Role and functions of colour in the drawings of Portuguese architects

Abstract

Drawings made by architects have been the object of several studies and publications, however, usually focused on themes that encompass skills, methods, conventions, or representations. This paper addresses drawings done by Portuguese architects, from a completely different standpoint: an enquiry directed to the role of colour. It is generally accepted that colour is a very significant tool and a powerful means of expression, operating at many perceptive levels that can add information and meaning to an image. However, specifically when related to drawings made during the development of an architectural project, how significant is colour in the actual ‘making of the drawing’ and what meanings are attached to it when part of a range of steps and different stages of this complex process? These were the leading research questions that initiated an ongoing investigation within a PhD program in Fine Arts – specialization in Drawing that responds to more overarching issues such as how colour triggers the imagination and thinking process. From the analysis of drawings and discussion with their authors, significant functions and uses of colour began to emerge. Some applications of colour are more straightforward and illustrative in essence than other more personal interpretations and explorations of colour. In fact, this research demonstrates how colour is used for conceptualization of the architectural project; the extent to which colour can operate as an organizational tool; how it can complement the use of only one colour such as black; or even how colour helps disentangle the drawing, as Le Corbusier put it.