using color as expressive symbolism

I need to identify visuals of artists who have used color (preferably in an abstract way) to set the tone for an issue, cause, etc. appropriate for 5th grade. I'm blanking out. They are involved in a collaborative unit on civil rights, producing [in art] a multi-media "portrait" of a person: abstract color showing symbolism in the background (hence the need of visuals) with cereal box in the middle containing an image of the person, opening up to reveal 1st-person narrative + artifacts. In the background are embedded magazine cut-outs of text describing the person/event + sketches. I'm excited about this project but would like to expose them to artists who use color to portray emotion abstractly, in a way that 5th graders might understand. They understand Joan Mittchell's "Sale Neige." We have discussed basic color symbolism, which they get. I just would like to show them examples! I'm using Mark Rothko, Frankenthaler, and some other color field artists, but it's not quite what I'm looking for...