This painting exemplifies the image and colours, although not always the anecdotal meaning of a rainbow. Created by the interaction of water droplets and sunlight by means of refraction rainbows always appear in the section of the sky directly opposite the sun, with the sun behind the viewer the addition of strong shadows or silhouettes are often present. Due to the dispersion of light and the angle at which the rainbow is seen the prominent and highest colours are always red first then orange, as seen in the painting, the lower colours follow from yellow, green, blue, indigo then violet. The rainbow is also the main component of the composition linking the buildings and drawing the eye upwards. Inspired by a photograph taken from my own balcony after a short spell of rainfall. There is also a loose semiotic connection with the rainbow and the recent NHS adoption of the image.
Michael Palmer 