Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
paintings and written works, such as
Interaction
of Colors
(2010/1963). He had also studied, then
taught in Germany at the school of architecture
and design of the 20
th
century, the Bauhaus School
of Design, which was considered one of the most
influential schools. In his oil-on-panel painting
titled “Homage to the Square: Soft Spoken”
(1969, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-
of-art/1972.40.7) there are four almost concentric
squares in different colors that provide an opti-
cal illusion about the painting's dimensionality
(Albers, 1969). Art historians tend to include
art works of Albers both into the Op Art and the
Post-Painterly Abstraction movements. Op Art,
short for Optical Art, was the abstract art move-
ment from the 1960s focused on exploring the
capabilities of the human eye and its tendency to
be erroneous. With vibrant colors, artists evoked
optical illusions of dimensionality, movement,
and shimmering of forms. Abstract artists, work-
ing in the 20
th
century, abandoned the idea of art
as imitation of nature, and painted forms that do
not remind any specific objects. The paintings
of the Russian/American Abstract Expressionist
artist Mark Rothko (1903-1970, http://www.nga.
gov/feature/rothko/classic1.shtm) present areas
of glowing colors of considerable magnitude
that provide the viewer with a color experience
evoking intellectual and spiritual connotations.
The value of color is its lightness and darkness.
Colors can be made lighter or darker by adding
either white or black. To lighten value, add white.
Lightening (any color plus white) produces a tint.
To produce a shade, add black. Any color plus
black is a shade. Black plus white makes gray. A
color plus gray is called a tone. Black, white and
gray are called neutrals. Hue, a synonym for color,
is a particular quality of a color (full intensity,
tint, tone, or shade). In order to change the hue
of a color, we add the neighboring color. Primary
hues are: red, yellow, blue. Secondary hues are:
orange, green, and violet. Intermediate hues are:
yellow-green, blue-green, etc. Intensity means the
purity or strength (also called chroma). To change
intensity and produce a tone, add a complementary
or gray color. Gray is a color without hue, made
from black and white.
Psychological Aspects of Color
According to Tufte (1983; 1992), color is used
in printing to (1) attract and gain attention, (2) to
be legible and comprehensible, and (3) to make
an impression. Tufte provides some helpful hints
about using color:
1.
To Attract Attention:
Warm colors are
higher in visibility than cool colors; contrast
in values (light versus dark) is greater than
contrast in hues (blue versus yellow); the
darker the background, the lighter a color
appears against it.
2.
To Produce Psychological Effects:
To
convey coolness, warmth, action, purity, etc.
3.
To Develop Associations:
For example, do
not use green when advertising fresh meet.
4.
To Build Retention:
Color has high memory
value, especially in repeated messages.
5.
To Create Aesthetical ly Pleasing
Atmosphere:
Too many colors may be
worse than the use of no color at all. The
use of elements and principles of design is
effective for this purpose.
The Primary Colors in
Pigment and in Light
The pigment colors are derived from mixtures of
pigment primaries. A pigment primary is caused by
the reflection of two light primaries. The pigment
primaries are red (magenta), yellow, and blue (a
blue-green referred to as cyan). All light colors
are derived from mixtures of light primaries. A
light primary is caused by the reflection of two
pigment primaries. The light primaries are green,
red-orange, and blue-violet. This means that a
pigment primary is a secondary color of light.
