Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Red
Green
Fig. 4.2 Hering's colour circle. Note that, at variance with Goethe's colour
circle, pure blue and pure yellow are opponent colours. The quantitative
relationship between red and blue is illustrated for the case where
b
/
r
= 0.5/0.5. According to Hering's mathematical treatment it follows that
b
=
b
/(
r
+
b
) = 0.5/1 = 0.5 and
r
=
r
/ (
r
+
b
) = 0.5/1 = 0.5.
the degree of similarity to yellow. Likewise, he assumed that the
yellow-green, green-blue, blue-red and also the white-black series
may be characterized, respectively, by the ratio between the degree
of similarity to yellow and green, green and blue, blue and red, and
white and black and, thereby, be treated in quantitative terms (see
Fig. 4.2
for an illustration).
2. He accepted the psychophysical maxim of Mach (
1865
) and,
hence, presumed that the analysis of the phenomenological character of
colour sensations could give information with regard to the underlying
material processes (Hering,
1878
, pp. 70-77). The phenomenological
analysis of the multiplicity of colour qualities had shown that they
