Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
philosophers (e.g. Empedocles and Plato), and Aristotle had suggested
that colour sensations could be generated by an interaction between
white and black (Goethe,
1810
, pp. 524-539). In fact, a colour theory
similar to that of Goethe had previously been presented by Lazarus
Nuguet (Goethe,
1810
, pp. 748-756). Also, a serious limitation of his
theory was the complete neglect of the physical and physiological
basis of colour vision.
Yet, his historical review of colour theories (Goethe,
1810
,
Historischer Teil, pp. 513-986), his many experiments, his descriptions
and analyses of a great variety of colour phenomena, his insistence on
a phenomenological analysis of colour vision in its own right, even
including the emotional characteristics of colours, and his concept of
opponency, made a profound impact on later research within colour
vision. The comprehensive work of Goethe made it quite clear that
the observational basis of Newton had to be expanded in order to
reach a more general understanding of the colour phenomena.
4.4 The colour theory of Ewald Hering
Hering developed a new and ingenious colour theory by changing the
basic presumptions of Goethe in two important ways (see Hering,
1878
,
1964
).
1. He proposed that the chromatic colours on the circumference
of the colour circle should be ordered
quantitatively.
Thus, he
presumed (a) that there are four primary hues, each of which reveals
only one psychological quality: red, yellow, green or blue (this is in
agreement with several other previous research workers, e.g. Aubert,
1865
; Mach,
1865
), and (b) that all the intermediate hues may be
characterized by the relative distinctness of two of the primaries.
Thus, all hues in the range between pure red and pure yellow, for
example, may be characterized by the relative distinctness of red and
yellow - the more similar the colour is to yellow, the less its similarity
to red and vice versa. Accordingly, the colour series between pure red
and pure yellow may be ordered quantitatively on the circumference
of the circle by the ratio between the degree of similarity to red and
