Colour Theory

2010

Contact: hershy.fishman2gmail.com Ewald Hering wrote in 1878 that four primary colors; red, yellow, green and blue; perceptually comprise all other colors. For example, orange is composed of red and yellow, and purple of red and blue. However, not any two of the primaries can comprise a secondary color. There are no reddish greens or yellowish blues; rather the four primary colors work in opposing pairs, red vs. green and yellow vs. blue. This theory has also been that of Leonardo da Vinci (quoted in Sekuler & Blake 2002), and is now fully accepted by modern color scientists. However, many people (outside the field) feel that only red, yellow and blue are primaries, but green is perceptually composed of yellow and blue. According to this viewpoint, yellow and blue don't oppose each other, and thus no two primaries are opponents, but all three primaries can't go together. Thus, if we should describe an opponency system, each secondary color is the opponent of the third primary: Green (yellow-blue) opposes red, orange (yellow-red) opposes blue, and purple (blue-red) opposes yellow. (According to the classical four-primary theory, the reason orange can't go together with blue and purple can't go together with yellow is because of their yellow and blue components). This three-primary viewpoint has indeed been the widespread color theory in the 17th and 18th century, held by great minds such as Robert Boyle, and is referred to as the "painter's primaries" (MacEvoy 2005). Thomas Young also originally proposed that the three cone types in the retina code for these three primary colors (quoted in Boynton 1979, p 15). However, this viewpoint is now not even considered as a dissenting theory. Palmer (1999, pg. 109; see Kuehni 2004 who also alludes to this), in a footnote, comments that those who have this feeling "almost certainly'' do so because of their experience with mixing blue and yellow paints which produce green paint. However, while this experience clearly would influence someone in this direction and experience with paints was clearly the inspiration of the three-primary theory, it still seems that it does not totally explain away this viewpoint. It is hard to imagine that a child who grew up mixing lights instead of paints would feel that yellow subjectively has green and red components. So is it all a matter of subjective feeling or is there any evidence for Hering's classical theory? Leo Hurvich, (1981), who together with Dorothea Jameson is responsible for the acceptance of the classical theory (Lennie 2000, Sekuler & Blake 2002), cites four lines of empirical evidence as a basis for it (pp 17-23): 1) When one stares for some time at a red, yellow, green or blue image and then looks at a white background s/he will see a green, blue, red or yellow afterimage respectively. 2) Likewise, a gray rectangle surrounded by red will look greenish, by yellow will look bluish and vice versa. This is referred to as simultaneous color contrast. 3) At a certain distance from the center of the retina the eye can no longer detect reds and greens, and only yellows and blues are seen. 4) The colors unseen by color-deficient people are paired, either red and green or yellow

Color Research & Application, 1991

Additive primaries or peaks of color-matching functions are defined as peaks of complementary efficiency and of saturution per watt. These are near 447, 532, and 607 nm for all CIE illuminants. (CIE 1931 r, g, 6 functions peak at 447, 543, and 604 nm.) Subtractive or colorant primaries are defined as saturation minima and peaks of brightness or lightness per watt. Additive and subtractive primaries (e.g., red and cyan) are complementaries and opposites in saturation and lightness. In equal radiance color-space the six lines of constant mean saturation are invariant hues (473, 508, 574 nm and 558 c) and their complementaries.

2014

The purpose of this academic article is to establish the actuality of color theories, including those pertaining to primary colors, the mixing of colors, and color schemes. In particular, the traditional color theory that institutes the 3 primary colors red, yellow and blue as bases, which could not be formed through mixing of other colors, has been established as incorrect. This inaccuracy was first determined because in the present new technologies can make or produce many new colors. There are consequently 3 new primary colors magenta, cyan and yellow. Red can be mixed using magenta and yellow. Blue can be mixed using cyan and magenta. The 3 new primary colors were determined through subtractive mixing of reflected light. Therefore, these 3 new primary colors have replaced the former. This change affects color theory regarding color schemes. Currently, if artists and designers want to create artwork using the principle of contrast in their composition, they may define or select c...

2003

Primary quality theories of colour claim that colours are intrinsic, objective, mind-independent properties of external objects. However, a recent, empirically motivated argument seems to have convinced many that primary quality theories cannot be sustained. This argument, in outline, alleges that colours bear structural relations to each other that no primary qualities bear to each other, and therefore that colours cannot be primary qualities. I believe the argument in question has been misunderstood.

A widely held view on color cognition is that it is structured by a set of color fundamentals. Three sorts of evidence may be invoked in favor of such a ‘foundational’ approach to color cognition: physiological, phenomenal and lexical. This paper focuses on the lexical evidence, which draws from a predominant view in color categorization, the Basic color terms theory (BCTT). It argues that the BCTT does not consist in a foundational approach to color cognition and does not provide such evidence.

— In the traditional teaching for color theory, each pure color (primary or secondary) is assumed to be similar. Therefore the current practical training system like split complementary colors 1 , triadic colors 2 or tetradic colors 4 are using this assumption. Each pure color can be placed into practical field just like any other pure color based on this guideline. However, in practical situation, different pure colors occupy different size of practical color space as illustrated by Munsell's color tree. Munsell color tree is a practical color system that represents the actual application range of color tone and hue. Munsell color system 6 has not been comprehensively introduced to the educational training of colors. Its strength has not been maximized especially in the teaching of practical color theory. This research paper uses Munsell color theory as the backbone to develop a more robust training of practical color theory to fulfill the needs of current visual art education. Munsell color system introduces transition tertiary colors directly with a practical objective in mind. Therefore it serves as a good system to allow beginners or painting artists to plan their color rhythm logically without too much effort wasted on trial and error processes.

Colour is visual identification or perception of a property derived from spectrum of light by human eyes. When a beam of light from sun or light source passes through a glass prism, it dispersed in to seven colours of rainbow. Sunlight has a high color temperature, a fairly uniform spectrum and is considered a standard for white light. A rainbow is an optical and meteorological phenomenon caused by reflection and refraction of light in water droplets present in the atmosphere. The rainbow colours are violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red (vibgyor). Electromagnetic radiation in the visible range is generally called as light.

Proceedings of the 2022 International Colour Association (AIC) Conference, 2022

We define "traditional colour theory" as a loose collection of propositions about colour that disregard the findings of modern colour science beginning with Young, Maxwell, Helmholtz, and Hering, very often oversimplified and misinterpreted, taken, among others, from the writings of LeBlanc, Field, Goethe, Chevreul and popularised in Itten's The Art of Color. We discuss four of the major misconceptions found in the literature and, alas, widely taught in schools-from preschool to university level. These misconceptions are those related to the "primary colours"; the hue circle (colour wheel); simple rules to establish harmonious colour combinations; and the problems associated with using vague colour categories or simple hue names, supposed to be sufficient to attach meaning and effect to colours. After pointing out the fallacies contained in these misconceptions, we conclude that 21 st century colour education should break away from the shackles of traditional colour theory and treat colour as something to be experienced and enjoyed, and not just taught.

Colour Design, 2012

Vision Research, 2020

A range of explanations have been advanced for the systems of colour names found in different languages. Some explanations give special, fundamental status to a subset of colour categories. We argue that a subset of colour categories, if fundamental, will be coherent-meaning that a non-trivial criterion distinguishes them from the other colour categories. We test the coherence of subsets of achromatic (white, black and grey), primary (white, black, red, green, yellow, blue) and basic (primaries plus brown, orange, purple, pink and grey) colour categories in English. Criteria for defining colour categories were expressed in terms of behavioural, linguistic and geometric features derived from colour naming and linguistic usage data; and were discovered using machine learning methods. We find that achromatic and basic colour categories are coherent subsets but not primaries. These results support claims that the basic colour categories have special status, and undermine claims about the fundamental role of primaries in colour naming systems.