The article attempts to find the origin of color symbolism in the novel “Petersburg” by A. Bely. The meaning of colours is interpreted in the context of color theories of J. Goethe and R. Steiner, who influenced Bely’s worldview. There is one aspect, which stands out in the study of writer’s work, and this aspect is picturesqueness, more precisely, coloristics. The features of the use of color in the novel “Petersburg” are compared with the requirements for the color design of the picture, which are put forward by V. Kandinsky in the treatise “On the Spiritual in Art”. The basis for this comparison was the general literary and pictorial sources, equally relevant for both Bely and Kandinsky. The result of the study was determination of the functions and meaning of the most frequently used colors in novel “Petersburg” in their correlation with the subject and the hero, as well as the episode, the leitmotif, and ultimately – with the author’s position.