Earliest times of colour
The ancient Egyptians have been recorded to have been using colour for cures and ailments.They worshipped the sun, knowing that
without light there can be no life. They looked at nature and copied
it in many aspects of their lives. The floors of their temples were often green as the grass which then grew alongside their river, which
is the Nile. Blue was a very important colour to the Egyptians too;
the colour of the sky. They built temples for healing and used gems
(crystals) through which the sunlight shone. They would have different rooms for different colours. We could perhaps relate our present
methods of colour/light therapy to this ancient practice.
Early colour studies
S ome of the early colour studies and theories
about light were done by A ristotle.He discovered
that by mixing t wo colours, a third is produced.
He did this with a yellow and blue piece of glass,
which when brought together produced green. He
also discovered that light travels in waves.
Sir Isaac Newton
While it appears as though the color wheel is the visible
spectrum of colors placed on a wheel, the real basis for
the color wheel is rooted in Sir Isaac Newton’s experiments
with prisms. His experiments led to the theory that red, yellow and blue were the primary colors from which all other
colors are derived. While that’s not entirely true, it’s still
influential in the color wheels developed in the early 1800s
as well as the color wheel currently used today. Add to
that the secondary colors of violet, orange and green—
those which result from mixing the primary colors—and
the color wheel begins to take shape. The tertiary colors
yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, bluegreen and yellow-green complete the color wheel. - See
more at: http://munsell.com/color-blog/sir-isaac-newton-color-wheel.
A pioneer in the field of colour, Isaac Newton in 1672, published his first, controversial paper on colour, and forty
years later, his work ‘Opticks’.Newton passed a beam of
sunlight through a prism. When the light came out of the
prism is was not white but was of seven different colours:
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet. The
spreading into rays was called dispersion by Newton and
he called the different coloured rays the spectrum. He
learnt that when the light rays were passed again through a
prism the rays turned back into white light. If only one ray
was passed through the prism it would come out the same
colour as it went in. Newton concluded that white light was
made up of seven different coloured rays.
Colour Theory - The colour wheel
Colour theory encompasses a multiple of definitions, concepts and design applications. However, there are three basic categories of colour theory that are logical and useful. The colour wheel, colour harmony, and the context of how colours are used.
A color circle, based on red, yellow and blue, is traditional in the field of art. As I stated earlier ‘Sir Isaac Newton’ developed
the first circular diagram of colours in 1666. Since then, scientists and artists have studied and designed numerous variations
of this concept. Differences of opinion about the effectivness of one format over another continue to provoke debate. In reality,
any colour circle or color wheel which presents a logically arranged sequence of pure hues has merit.
Colour Theory - The colour wheel
Primary Colours:
Red, yellow and blue
In traditional colour theory, primary colours are the 3 pigment colours that can not be mixed or formed by any combination of
other colours. All other colours are derived from these 3 hues.
Secondary Colours:
Green, orange and purple
These are the colors formed by mixing the primary colours.
Tertiary Colours:
Yellow-orange, red-orange, red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green & yellow-green
These are the colours formed by mixing a primary and a secondary colour. That’s why the hue is a two word name, such as
blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.
Colour Harmony
Colour Harmony –
Harmony can be defined as a pleasing arrangement of parts, whether it be music, poetry,
colour, or even an ice cream sundae.
In visual experiences, harmony is something that is gratifying to the eye. It engages the
viewer and it creates an inner sense of order, a balance in the visual experience. When
something is not harmonious, it’s either dull or turbulent. At one extreme is a visual experience that is so insipid that the viewer is not engaged. The human brain will reject under-stimulating information. At the other extreme is a visual experience that is so overdone,
so chaotic that the viewer can’t stand to look at it. The human brain rejects what it can not
organise, what it can not understand. The visual task requires that we present a logical
structure. Colour harmony delivers visual interest and a sense of order.
Colour Harmony formulas
A color scheme based on corresponding colours. Corresponding colors are any three colors which are side by side
on a 12 part color wheel, such as yellow-green, yellow, and
yellow-orange. Normally one of the three colors predominates.
A color scheme based on complementary colours. Complementary colors are any two colors which are directly opposite
each other, such as red and purple and orange and green
and yellow-green. In the illustration above, there are several
variations of yellow-green in the leaves and several variations
of red and purple in the orchid. These opposing colors create
maximum contrast and maximum stability
A color scheme based on nature. Nature provides a perfect
departure point for colour harmony. In the illustration above,
red yellow and green create a harmonious design, regardless
of whether this combination fits into a technical formula for
colour harmony.
Colour Context
How color behaves in relation to other colors and shapes is a complex area of colour theory.
Different readings of the same colour
If your computer has sufficient colour stability and gamma correction you will see that the small purple rectangle on the left
appears to have a red-purple tinge when compared to the small purple rectangle on the right. They are both the same colour
as seen in the illustration below. This demonstrates how three colors can be perceived as four colours.
Observing the effects colours have on each other is the starting point for understanding the relativity of colour. The relationship of values, saturations and the warmth or coolness of respective hues can cause noticeable differences in our perception of colour.
James Turrell
An artist who specifies some of his work amongst colour is James Turrell who is an American artist primarily concerned with
Light, space and colour. In the 1960s, by manipulating light rather than paint or sculptural material, James Turrell introduced
an art that was not an object but an experience in perception.
His best piece of artwork in my opinion is ‘the colour inside’ Skyscape. The reason I like the colour inside Skyspace the best
is because it focuses on colour the most. During sunset and sunrise, coloured lights illuminate the walls and contrast the natural skylight. This effects the way we see the sky and different produces, the experience of James Turrells art.
The colour inside is the eighty forth skycap designed by James Turrell, and one of twelve to open to the public in the United
States. Each Skyspace is different and not all have the light sequences at sunrise and sunset.
Alberto Seveso
Alberto Seveso is an Italian artist specialising in illustration, graphic design and photography. Born in Milan, Seveso currently
lives and works as a freelance artst from his hometown of Portoscuso, Sardinia, Italy. Alberto’s artistic passion grew from an
early fascination with skateboard deck graphics and album artwork for metal bands. He has since developed his own unique
style which you can explore on his personal website as well as Behance, where his projects have garnered almost 1.3 million
views. In his ongoing exploration with high-speed photography and colour, Seveso drops plumes of various inks into water,
capturing the organic shapes that form with a high-speed camera. The results are breathtaking and the ongoing series continues to amaze.