Color combinations: rules for color matching, harmony, theory and practice. What is color harmony

Monochrome harmony (in the floristic literature it is also called monochrome) is based on a combination of colors of the same color tone, in the presence of differences in lightness and saturation.

The overall color tone gives this color composition a calm, balanced character. This type of harmony is very widely used in painting, arts and crafts, and clothing design. But in the interior it is undesirable to use it, since the monopoly of one color in space, and even in large quantities, causes discomfort in the human body, up to the manifestation of psychophysical disorders.

On our color wheel, this is a combination of colors from 5 levels of color tone.

The number of steps can naturally be large. The achromatic equidistant color range (from white to black) is also harmonious.

Solid color harmony in hair color design:

Harmony of related colors (nuances).

The harmony of related colors is based on the presence of an admixture of the same main color.

The main colors are called:red, blue, yellow and green. This is a relatively restrained color scheme. For example, on our color wheel, these are red and red-orange, yellow and yellow-red, but not red and yellow. That is, related colors are colors taken from the intervals from a given color to the next main one.

In the color wheel, or rather, in the color wheel system, there are 4 groups of related colors: yellow-red, blue-red, yellow-green, blue-green.

Consider how you can harmonize three related colors - pure red, red orange and orange. The combination of these colors, taken from circle III, does not give a subtle color combination. To achieve harmony in a given color combination (and this is a balance of shades), it is necessary to balance the colors by changing their saturation or lightness. Therefore, it is better to take red from circle III, red-orange from circle II, orange from circle I (or II). You can also add a not lightened, but a darkened color to two colors, that is, take them from circles 4 and 5.

Thus, equally saturated color tones of the same lightness cannot form subtle color combinations. But if you add a darkened or lightened color to one or two of the three colors, then the colors begin to harmoniously combine, focusing on the third, most saturated color.

Polar harmony.

Polar harmony is built on the opposition of two main colors, which can be either complementary or contrasting.

For example, red and green, blue and yellow, yellow and purple. In polar harmony, not only two colors can be combined, but more. For example, pink, light green and dark green. The main thing is that these colors are varieties of the two main polar colors.

Many researchers consider this harmony to be the most comfortable for the eyes. A special combination of contrasting colors, since the phenomenon of consistent contrast is the law of our body's striving for balance and self-defense.

Physiologist E. Goering proved that the eye and the brain need a medium gray, otherwise, in its absence, they lose their peace of mind. A mixture of complementary or contrasting colors gives a neutral gray. A mixture of pure spectral colors produces white. On our color wheels, all diametrically located colors give a gray color in the mixture, that is, they form harmony. All color combinations that do not add up to gray, such as red and blue, yellow and red, are expressive.

The combination of polar colors is characterized by the greatest activity, dynamism and tension. If you combine polar colors of the same lightness, then from such a combination it will ripple in the eyes.

There are several ways to bring them into a harmonious combination:

1. One of the colors should be smaller in area.
2. Add white or black to one of the colors;
3. Take all colors whitened or darkened;
4. Add a contrasting color to one of the colors. For example, if in pure contrast. For example, if you add a little green to pure red, it will turn gray-red and will harmonize well with green;

Let's consider the 1st point in more detail. Since proportionality is the main condition for balance (remember that Proportion is the daughter of Harmony!), Itten, based on the findings of Goethe, proposed in his book "The Art of Color" the following proportional approximate ratios of spots of contrasting colors:
Yellow: purple = ¼: ¾
Orange: Blue = 1/3: 2/3
Red: green = ½: ½

The presented quantitative ratios are valid only when colors are used in their maximum saturation. As can be seen from the proportions, warm colors with a greater lightness should be smaller in area than cold colors, since the strength of their effect is much more active than cold colors. Compliance with this rule will help create polar color harmony that is comfortable for our eyes.

Harmony built on the principle of constructive construction (colors are located at the ends of geometric shapes inscribed in the color wheel: triangles, rectangles, pentagons, etc.)

Summarizing all that has been said, we can formulate the basic principles of building color harmonies:

The principle of uniformity of colors (monochromatic harmonies);
The principle of subordination of colors (related harmonies);
Complementarity principle (polar harmonies of complementary colors);
The principle of opposition (polar harmonies of contrasting colors);
The principle of constructive construction (colors are located at the ends of geometric figures inscribed in a circle: triangles, pentagons, etc.).

Let's take a closer look at the last principle. Many artists and designers adhere to the "good old" rule - not to combine more than 2-3 colors in a composition. Then very harmonious combinations are obtained. The strongest harmonious consonance is created on the basis of equilateral triangles. If three colors are taken at the ends of isosceles triangles inscribed in the color wheel, then they will also form a harmonious unity.

And if, nevertheless, it is necessary to combine more than three colors, then in order not to get a cacophony of colors, you can follow several methods:

* Combine colors according to the principle of constructive construction;
* Add one color to all colors;

Make one color dominant in the composition. This color will prevail in its total area in the color composition, and in its distribution on the plane will become "all-embracing", that is, as if it will surround all colors from all sides;

A color composition is created from equally small color spots. This method was used by French impressionist painters of the 19th century - pointillists (J. Seurat and P. Signac), who created their harmonious paintings with small strokes and dots.

Harmony of complementary colors in the color wheel

Split complementary scheme

Tertiary color harmony scheme

Color harmony

When people talk about color harmony, they are evaluating the impression of the interaction of two or more colors. Painting and observation of the subjective color preferences of different people speak of ambiguous ideas about harmony and disharmony. As a rule, the assessment of harmony or dissonance is caused by a feeling of pleasant-unpleasant or attractive-unattractive. Such judgments are based on personal opinion and are not objective.

The concept of color harmony should be removed from the area of subjective feelings and transferred to the area of objective laws.

Harmony is balance, symmetry of forces.

Physiologist Ewald Goering has the following remark: “A medium or neutral gray color corresponds to that state of an optical substance in which dissimilation - the expenditure of forces expended on color perception, and assimilation - their restoration - are balanced. This means that the middle gray color creates a state of balance in the eyes. " Goering proved that the eye and the brain need a medium gray, otherwise, in the absence of it, they lose their calmness.

The processes taking place in visual perception cause corresponding mental sensations. In this case, the harmony in our visual apparatus testifies to a psychophysical state of equilibrium, in which the dissimilation and assimilation of the visual substance are the same. Neutral gray corresponds to this state.

Two or more colors are harmonious if their mixture is a neutral gray.

All other color combinations that do not give us a gray color become expressive or disharmonious in nature. In painting, there are many works with one-sidedly expressive intonation, and their color composition, from the point of view of the above, is not harmonious. These works act annoyingly and too excitingly with their emphatically persistent use of one predominant color. There is no need to argue that color compositions must necessarily be harmonious, and when Seurat says that art is harmony, he confuses the artistic means and the goals of art.

The basic principle of harmony comes from the physiological law of complementary colors. In his work on color, Goethe wrote about harmony and integrity as follows: “When the eye contemplates a color, it immediately comes into an active state and, by its nature, inevitably and unconsciously immediately creates another color, which, in combination with a given color, encompasses the entire color wheel ... Each individual color, due to the specificity of perception, makes the eye strive for universality. And then, in order to achieve this, the eye, for the purpose of self-satisfaction, looks for some colorless empty space next to each color, into which it could produce the missing color. This is the main rule of color harmony ”.

Color theorist Wilhelm Ostwald also touched upon the issues of color harmony. In his book on the basics of color, he wrote: “Experience teaches that some combinations of some colors are pleasant, others are unpleasant or do not evoke emotions. The question arises, what determines this impression? To this we can answer that those colors are pleasant, between which there is a natural connection, that is, order. We call color combinations, the impression of which is pleasant to us, harmonious. So the basic law could be formulated as follows: Harmony = Order.

It can be generally concluded that all pairs of complementary colors, all combinations of three colors in a twelve-part color wheel, which are connected to each other through equilateral or isosceles triangles, squares and rectangles, are harmonious.

Yellow-red-blue here form the main harmonious triad. If these colors in the system of the twelve-part color wheel are connected to each other, then we get an equilateral triangle. In this triad, each color is presented with extreme strength and intensity, and each of them appears here in its typical generic qualities, that is, yellow acts on the viewer as yellow, red as red and blue as blue. The eye does not require additional complementary colors, and their mixture gives a dark black-gray color.

Yellow, red-violet and blue-violet colors are united by the shape of an isosceles triangle. The harmonious consonance of yellow, red-orange, violet and blue-green are united by a square. The rectangle gives a harmonized combination of yellow-orange, red-violet, blue-violet and yellow-green.

A bunch of geometric shapes, consisting of an equilateral and isosceles triangle, square and rectangle, can be placed at any point on the color wheel. These shapes can be rotated within a circle, thus replacing the yellow, red and blue triangle with a yellow-orange, red-violet and blue-green or red-orange, blue-violet and yellow-green triangle.

The same experiment can be done with other geometric shapes. Further development of this theme can be found in the section on the harmony of color consonances.

Types of color harmonies and principles of their construction

What is color? This concept has dozens of complex definitions, but in simple terms, color is the sensation that a person has when light rays hit his eyes. It is easy to guess that the sensations of all people are different, therefore we perceive colors individually. Someone will say that yellow reminds him of the July heat, while another, on the contrary, associates this color with sadness and longing, remembering the well-known song about “yellow tulips”.

Each interior is unique in its own way, but each must have harmony: not just one room, but the whole dwelling as a whole. To create it in rooms located on the south side, you need to use cold shades:

purple is the color of idealism that helps to increase self-esteem;
blue - a calming, stress-relieving and emitting tenderness color of carelessness, which is ideal for relaxation, but not for mental and physical labor;
blue - a symbol of constancy, perseverance, dedication and severity, helping to achieve harmony with oneself and with the world around;
green - symbolizing prosperity and a new, unencumbered life.

It is customary to decorate rooms from the northern (cold) side with the shades remaining in the rainbow palette:

red - a strong dominant, symbolizing power, stubbornness, determination and strength;
yellow - the personification of mind, willpower and self-confidence;
orange is the color of warmth, kindness, bliss and fun, it keeps you in good shape every day.

Cold to warm, warm to cold - this is an essential rule for combining colors in the interior!

Each of the above colors in the interior has a wide palette of shades, which also need to be used correctly, for which there is a special science - color science.

A little about color theory

Before you is a 12-part color wheel, which formed the basis of this science and directly the harmony of color.

You can see that all the spectral colors available in the circle are distinguished by excessive brightness, and to reduce it, achromatic shades are added to them: white and black. As a result, hundreds of new shades are obtained, in a narrow range which can be represented in the following figure:

This is already called "Itten's color wheel". As you can see, each color has several shades, i.e. own spectrum. And now we come close to the question of how these shades can be combined with each other.

Monochrome (monochrome) combination

From the name it is clear that monochrome color harmony is achieved by using shades (in unlimited quantities) from only one spectrum. A monochrome interior will always be in demand - this is a classic room design option that is especially attractive to people who prefer one color.

Contrast combination

It consists in the arrangement of two shades located strictly opposite each other in the color wheel. Using the principle of contrasting, you will make the room truly bright and memorable, highlighting the most important functional areas in it with the brightest color (in the kitchen - a set or bar counter, in the bathroom - sanitary ware, in the bedroom - bed and furniture, etc.) ... Add unusual things for your home, and then the interior of the room will become not only creative, but also unique.

Classic triadic combination

It is based on the use of three shades equally spaced from each other in distance within the color wheel. To achieve harmony in the triad, it is necessary to take one color as the main one, and use it in most of the elements of the home interior (mainly the main ones that play a dominant role), and with the help of the rest, make several bright accents.

Analog Triad Combination

Three colors are already used here, which are "neighbors" on Itten's color wheel. This combination is found everywhere in nature, so it looks extremely harmonious. By the way, as one of the shades, you can use green, unpretentious care.

Notebook combination (tetrad)

The use of 4 colors, equidistant from each other, or two pairs of colors located opposite each other. One shade is made dominant, two others complement it, and the fourth is accentuated.

Accent analogy

This is a triadic combination, complemented by another shade located opposite the selected group of colors. It turns out to be a rather aggressive palette, which needs to be worked with very carefully.

There has always been, is and will be a fashion for color solutions, as well as for everything in our world. Your choice: to follow it or not, but it is imperative to observe harmony in creating an interior.

Contemplation by the human eye of the flowers of the surrounding world begins from the moment of his birth and carries a significant semantic load. Over 80% of the information the brain receives through visual perception, and it is from them that the idea of space and reality as a whole is formed.

The Beginning of the Beginning: Why Harmony Is Needed

The nature of the planet Earth is full of extraordinary places, the variety of colors and bright shades of which amaze the imagination. The saturation and depth of the hidden corners of the globe have always excited the souls of designers, artists and simply connoisseurs of beauty. That is why nature has become the basis in the selection of a palette and a source of emotional inspiration for creative people.

The task of the designer is to, taking as a basis the consonance and natural beauty of nature, to create something no less beautiful, but already possessing a touch of individuality. In order to brilliantly complete this task, it is necessary to understand the principle of interaction of colors and shades, the peculiarities of visual perception, the impact on the subconscious of a person of certain combinations. For this, the color harmony palette was created.

General classification of flowers in the world

The first taxonomy was made by Isaac Newton, who divided the light beam into seven colors by means of a prism. Now these shades are ranked as a rainbow - red, orange, yellow, green, purple. Newton combined the colors into a sketchy circle in an attempt to compose the first palette.

The harmony of colors existing in modern times classifies shades according to two characteristics:

1. Achromatic - white and black, as well as all varieties of gray, gradually gaining saturation on the way from white to black.

2. Chromatic - all other spectra) and their shades, juicy and saturated.

Separation of colors in gamut

It is customary to subdivide the chromatic group of the spectrum in more detail:

Primary (red, yellow, blue). They are basic in the creation of further colors and their variations.
Secondary, or compound (orange, green, purple). Extracted by mixing primary colors.
Mixed. These include all other colors created in the process of combining various shades.

In the latter variety, neutral colors are distinguished as a separate item - black, white and gray.

Harmony groups

The harmony of colors is expressed in four types of combinations, selected on the basis of the combination of the palette of primary and secondary shades:

The effect of flowers on humans

On the human body, shades have not only aesthetic, but also a pronounced psychological and physiological effect. Consider the main colors affecting the human body:

Red. It is an exciting shade, raises vitality, increases heart rate, stimulates the brain and liver. With all this, it negatively affects the nervous system and is limited in case of allergies and aggression.
Orange. Gives a charge of activity and optimism, has a positive effect on the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, increases appetite.
Yellow. Strengthens the nerves, is beneficial for depression, has a great effect on intellectual abilities and memory, helps cleanse the intestines and liver.
Green. It is good for the eyes and heart, has a general calming effect on the body and psyche, and lowers blood pressure.
Light blue and blue. These colors are calming and pacifying, positively affecting the nervous system, eliminating the feeling of powerlessness and pain in the body.
Violet. It has a positive effect on internal organs, helps with insomnia and migraines.

Spring and summer colors in the "concept of the seasons"

The classification according to the “concept of the seasons” was inspired by the harmonious nuances of nature itself. After all, where, if not here, there are the most unexpected combinations directly related to seasonal changes. Separate spring, summer, autumn and winter groups. Each palette contains one predominant color, actively dominating the others in brightness or volume.

Autumn and winter shades in seasonal theory

Autumn in the palette. Perhaps this time of the year can be called the richest in a variety of shades. The harmony of flowers is reflected in a rich harvest of mushrooms, berries and fruits, as well as color-changing foliage. The primary color is red, the accompanying colors are reddish brown, corn, orange, peach, blue, coniferous, olive, coffee, plum.
Winter. Memories of this period paint us monochrome landscapes, nature that has become silent and hidden under a snow blanket. And on this almost white canvas, bloody rowan berries, spruce needles and a frosty sky are actively distinguished. The colors of the season, although cold, are distinct and clean, without any additions. The dominant color in the palette is blue, there are also snow-white, turquoise, blood red, black, dark blue, intense brown, beige, blue.

Summing up

Despite the fact that the beauty of natural shades seems complete and does not need to be improved, it is not necessary to thoroughly transfer it to an object artificially designed by a person - whether it be interior design or the creation of an author's little thing. Impudent copying and transfer of pure natural tones into a world artificially created by human hands looks ridiculous, and the harmonious balance of natural shades is violated.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to learn how to harmoniously mix natural and artificially formed shades in a palette. It is important to have an innate taste and ability to correctly match colors to each other to create the perfect interior, painting or external image. All the above schemes and notes will help a creative person in this.

On our color wheel, this is a combination of colors from 5 levels of color tone.

The number of steps can naturally be large. The achromatic equidistant color range (from white to black) is also harmonious.

Solid color harmony in hair color design:

Harmony of related colors (nuances).

The harmony of related colors is based on the presence of an admixture of the same main color.

In the color wheel, or rather, in the color wheel system, there are 4 groups of related colors: yellow-red, blue-red, yellow-green, blue-green.

Polar harmony.

Polar harmony is built on the opposition of two main colors, which can be either complementary or contrasting.

There are several ways to bring them into a harmonious combination:

Harmony built on the principle of constructive construction (colors are located at the ends of geometric shapes inscribed in the color wheel: triangles, rectangles, pentagons, etc.)

Summarizing all that has been said, we can formulate the basic principles of building color harmonies:

And if, nevertheless, it is necessary to combine more than three colors, then in order not to get a cacophony of colors, you can follow several methods:

* Combine colors according to the principle of constructive construction;
* Add one color to all colors;

Harmony of complementary colors in the color wheel

Split complementary scheme

Tertiary color harmony scheme

When working with color, the artist's goal is to create color harmony... In general, harmony can be described as a combination of parts that gives a pleasant feeling (music, poetry, etc.). Color harmony- this is the consistency of colors with each other as a result of the found proportionality of their areas and shapes, balance and consonance, based on finding a unique shade of each color. This harmony should evoke certain positive feelings and sensations in a person.

By the nature of psychophysiological perception, it is customary to subdivide harmonic combinations into five color groups: one-tone harmonic combinations of colors, harmonic combinations of related colors, harmonic combinations of contrasting colors, harmonic combinations of related-contrasting colors and harmonic combinations "Triad".

1. Monochrome harmonic combinations built on a single color basis. They are created by combining the selected color with its light and dark shades obtained by adding white and black. As a result, strong tonal contrast can be achieved on the one hand and subtle color relationships on the other. The overall color tone gives the monochromatic combinations a calm, balanced character.

Monochrome harmony

Depending on the tasks set, color harmony can be organized in different light ranges. For example, using the full light range expresses calmness, stability. The selection of colors, separated from each other by different intervals, contributes to the manifestation of activity, color intensity. To express dynamic contrast, choose two colors with a small tonal interval between them and the third with a larger interval. The uniform ratio of the areas occupied in the combined colors confirms the statics, the uneven one - the dynamics.

Monochrome harmony in nature

2. Harmonious combinations of related colors are achieved through the use of three colors located side by side in the color wheel. Due to the proximity of the location, these colors can be easily combined. This harmony can have a lot of depth, rich personality and elegant look. The harmony of related colors is based on the similarity of color tones (or on their slight contrast in color tone) and evokes a sense of balance and calmness.

Harmony of related colors

The introduction of a small amount of white or black into combinations of related colors leads to harmony, enhances the emotional expressiveness of the composition. Active light contrast is inherent in the harmonies of related colors, contributing to the expressiveness of tonal combinations. For example, equally saturated three color tones of the same lightness do not form subtle color combinations. As soon as black or white is added to two of the three matching colors, the color combinations acquire consistency.

Harmony of related colors in nature

3. Harmonious combinations of contrasting colors are created by using two colors that are opposite each other in a color wheel. This technique is usually used to create accents, as the combinations of these color pairs have the greatest color contrast, causing active sound, tension and dynamics of the composition. This allows one color to complement another in such a way that one of them attracts attention and the other is the background.

Harmony of contrasting colors

Starting to create contrasting harmonic combinations, first select the original color, then determine the corresponding contrasting color. By creating a harmony of contrasting colors, you can add achromatic colors to each of the combined colors.

Harmony of contrasting colors. Square

"Square"- a variety of harmonic combinations of contrasting colors of four colors, equidistant from each other.

Harmony of contrasting colors. Tetrad

"Tetrad"- a kind of harmonic combinations of contrasting colors of four colors, in which two pairs of colors are located opposite each other.

Harmony of contrasting colors in nature

4. Harmonious combinations of related-contrasting colors Is the most common type of color harmony, forming an isosceles triangle in the color wheel. Here harmony is achieved through the use of any color and colors adjacent to its complementary. These colors are softer than a combination of just two complementary colors.

Harmony of related-contrasting colors

A characteristic feature of drawing up harmonious combinations of related-contrasting colors is the presence in the combinations of the same amount of the main and contrasting colors.

Harmony of related-contrasting colors in nature

5... Harmonic combinations "Triad" - a combination of three colors, equidistant from each other and forming an equilateral triangle in the color wheel. This scheme is popular with artists because it offers strong visual contrast while maintaining balance and color saturation. This composition looks quite lively even when using pale and desaturated colors.

Harmonic combinations "Triad" show very distinct and strong color combinations, being, however, the most difficult from the point of view of correct creation. To achieve harmony in the triad, one color is taken as the main one, and the other two are used for accents.

For an artist, color harmony is a special delight. He can give birth to a whole range of feelings, emotions and images in his imagination. That is why many artists collect photographs that are beautiful in color.

There are many sites on the web that allow you to compose such color palettes for photos. Here are some of them.

The owner of this beautiful site, Jessica, collects harmonious color combinations illustrated with a photograph of these flowers.

And these shades are so subtle and “tasty”, so different that the imagination is immediately spurred on by the emotions born of color. I would like to create my own pictures using this color clue.

The Design Seeds website has a convenient search by color shades and by subject.

Winter, spring, minerals, succulents, flora and fauna ..

This is how the search page looks, everything is intuitive.

2. DeGraeve

A good Generator that allows you to compose a color palette of any photo from the Internet. For this just insert the url of the photo and press the button “Color-Palette-ify!”

The generator consists of two color scales - the main natural colors of the photo and their more saturated counterparts.

The disadvantage of this generator is that not every user knows how to find the url address ...

More helpful materials:

On this site you can upload your photo and also get its main colors in two scales:

The downside here is that you can't see the original photo.

Click on the button "Select Image" and select a photo on your computer. Download and get just such a scheme, where you can choose the number of shades. Their maximum number is 8.

It's already more convenient, isn't it? And the colors are more natural and harmonious.

Select the file on your computer and click "Create palette".

We get the following scheme with fifteen shades:

Nice toy, isn't it?

If you still don't understand color well, then it can be used to select a shade for a picture. Separated from the landscape, it is more understandable.

But are these colors harmonious?

How to find harmonious color combinations?

Other color generators will answer these questions.

They match colors according to color schemes.

Use the mouse to select a color on the color wheel. On the right, you will see a monochrome harmony diagram.

Above the wheel there are buttons for selecting other color schemes.

To get the result in the form of a scale, click on the color tables button at the bottom right.

7.SessionsCollege

Another similar generator, but with fewer colors in the results .

Selecting a color on the color wheel.

We choose the number of colors for the combination and the scheme.

These generators are made for website and blog creators.

They allow you to quickly find shades that are harmonious in color and, by copying their digital name, use.

For an artist, these sites can become a "toy" for developing a sense of color harmonies and for inspiration.

If you want more fundamental knowledge in understanding color harmony for painting:

how to choose harmonious
how to mix the necessary, how to express the desired image with color

then all this can be learned in the course

This is how we study color harmonies there in practice:

Indeed, in painting everything is somewhat more complex and multifaceted than in design ...

I would be grateful for your comments on the article. And if you took my course in color science, share your impressions and successes!

As you know, all the colors that we see can be divided into achromatic (white, black, shades of gray - no color waves, only lighting.) and chromatic (the colors of the spectrum, the color waves that our eye perceives). Color waves smoothly transition into each other, creating color continuum- continuous smooth color change.

These two directions do not exist separately, chromatic colors (the entire continuum) are mixed with achromatic colors, which gives the whole range of shades that our eye sees. The whole range is most successfully presented in the three-dimensional "Tree" by Munsell.

Impurities of different achromatic colors form different tone directions.

If you mix pure color with white, you get bright colors, with black - dark.

If we talk about color as about color waves, then gray is a mixture of a color with its opposite (ie, for example, orange and blue), two waves "extinguish" each other and the color saturation is lost. Therefore, soft colors (mixed with gray pigment, with the opposite wave, in fact) look "complex, nuanced". So, a mixture with gray gives " soft colors".

If we talk about artistic color harmony, then not all chromatic colors of the continuum look good with each other, they are combined with a certain rhythm. Colors with a golden undertone are considered warm , colors with blue - cold ... There are also temperature-neutral colors that are in a continuum between two shades.

In total, we have 6 color characteristics, 3 pairs of dichotomies .
Dichotomy is a scale. It is not so much a choice or - or, as being on this scale. For example, both colors can be warm, but one is pronounced warm, and the other is closer to neutral.

The generally accepted color characteristics are:
Lightness: light (with white impurity) or dark (with a black admixture).
Brightness (saturation): bright (almost pure, saturated pigment) or soft (mild pigment, close to gray, gray impurity)
Color tone (place of color in the continuum). This includes the division of colors into warm (with a golden undertone) or cold (with a blue undertone)

Any color is described by all three characteristics, however, they are expressed with different intensities.... This provides a variety of shades. The characteristic that is most pronounced has the greatest influence on the perception of color, the rest of the characteristics make adjustments. If you combine all the color characteristics, you get 48 options - 48 colors blending into each other ... I have already told you how they transform into each other. This is an absolutely unique author's development, so I think the questions about which system I work will disappear - I work according to MY "Color Harmony" system, built entirely on color theory, due to which it is more accurate than most other color theories, if not everyone.

All colors of the continuum can be divided into these cells with blurred borders. However, in practical use 48 palettes are a lot, too many colors will be repeated. Therefore, it is best to reduce the number of palettes to 12. Why 12? I'll explain now. As I said, most of all, the leading characteristic, the most pronounced, affects the perception of color and its compatibility with others. This means that we have 6 directions - bright colors, soft, light, dark, warm, cold. In bright colors, first of all, the purity of color is visible, in soft ones - a gray admixture or "complexity" of color, in dark colors - depth, darkness, in light colors - whitening, airiness, in warm ones - gold, warmth, in cold ones - iciness, blueness.

Compare the cold soft flavor and the soft cold flavor. In the first case, blue and cold are striking. in the second - complexity, gray impurity.

The temperature characteristic is also important for us - since it is precisely when the temperature tint does not match that the skin optically reacts with unpleasant effects (yellowing, pallor, redness, colored shadows) - this is optics. The waves overlap each other and give an unnatural color.

Therefore, those areas where the temperature characteristic is not the first should be divided into two more subgroups.

The result is bright warm, bright cold, soft warm, soft cold, light warm, light cold, dark warm, dark cold.

In the case of colors, where temperature is the leading characteristic, brightness is important - pure colors or complex ones. Therefore, they are separated in this way: warm bright and warm soft, cold bright and cold soft.

It turns out 12 colors, and a simplified color globe will look like this:

Some color systems use the old "seasonal" color names, which does not affect anything other than terminology.

Each person falls into one color out of 12, but with certain adjustments and individual transitions. All colors of a person's appearance have the same set of characteristics. , it does not happen that the skin is cold, and the eyes, warm, everything is painted from the same palette, otherwise the colors of your appearance would not be harmonious. This is the law of nature =)

All colors within the main color are suitable for a person, and in addition to them, some colors of neighboring colors are suitable, which are simply added to an individual palette. These "supplements" differ from person to person.

And I present myself 12 colors that you, in principle, are already familiar with.

I will name them according to their characteristics, although let the seasonal names remain for the time being to correlate terminology =)

And a little bonus - the palettes now have Pantone coordinates , but only in the case of a link to us =)), in addition, I slightly added some palettes. Pantone colors are often requested from me. Although in domestic use it is easier for customers to use the classic 12 tone type.

And .. I represent 12 colors. Each of them causes some associations, I will also give them, but coloring is not limited only to these associations - they will only let you feel the "spirit" of flowers, making up the palette. But in any particular case, colors can carry different associations (!) depending on their use. But I hope I will be able to show all the colors at their best =) After the name of each palette there will be links to my pinterest, where I will gradually collect colors and associations, this will help you to present colors "in action".

Bright cold color. ("Bright winter") "Impressive" palette - "impressive" .

The leading characteristic is brightness, the additional characteristic is neutral - cold. It can be either relatively light or relatively dark, often contrasting in lightness. The colors are clear, either without obvious impurities, or with a bluish impurity.

The general impression of the palette is brightness, catchy, although at the same time there is some restraint due to the blue undertone.

The palette resembles a winter landscape on a bright day with its color contrasts of pure colors, white, black, red and cold green, or tropical islands with bright birds, flowers, turquoise water, blue skies and emerald greens.

Bright warm color. ("Bright Spring"). Creative Palette - "Creative" palette.

www.pinterest.com/shahrazade/ch-bright-a nd-warm /

The leading characteristic is brightness. Additional - neutral - warm. It can be either relatively light or relatively dark in color. The colors are clear, either without obvious impurities, or with a bright golden admixture.

The palette is associated with the world of South Asia, with the bright clothes of the inhabitants of this region, color splashes in their manner of combining colors, with the cheerful colors of tropical nature.

Soft cold coloring ("Soft Summer") - Mysterious Palette - Mysterious palette

The leading characteristic is softness, an additional characteristic is neutral - cold. It can be either relatively light or relatively dark. The colors are softened, with a gray admixture or grayish blue.

The palette is associated with twilight, fog, forest before rain, it creates the impression of a mystery, understatement, a mystery. The colors are very complex and nuanced.

Soft warm color ("Soft Autumn") - "Sensual Palette" - "Sensual" palette

The leading characteristic is softness, the additional characteristic is neutral - warm. It can be either relatively light or rather dark in color. The colors are softened, with a grayish admixture or with a softened ocher.

The palette is associated with earthly sensual femininity, with time before sunset, when the sun paints everything in soft golden tones, with the gifts of the Mediterranean nature - greenery and gold fields, with grapes, cinnamon, olives, figs.

Dark cold color ("Dark winter") "Luxorious Palette" - "Chic" palette

The leading characteristic is dark, the additional characteristic is neutral - cold. It can be either quite bright or slightly softened. The colors are deep with black or dark blue.

It is associated with the luxury of royal courts, with velvet of deep burgundy, purple, lilac, blue shades, with rubies, emeralds, jade and malachite, as well as with the dark night and the depth of the dark blue sky.

Dark warm color ("Dark Autumn") - "Exotic Palette" - "Exotic" Palette

The leading characteristic is dark, the additional characteristic is neutral - warm. It can be either quite soft or quite bright. The colors are deep, with a black or dark ocher admixture.

It is associated with the colors of the Middle East - with the rich ambience of Moroccan interiors, the gold of natural fires, the warmth of spices, the sensual complexity of colors, the rich colors of the southern nature.

Light cold color ("Light summer") - "Innocent Palette" ("Innocent" palette)

The leading characteristic is light, the additional characteristic is neutral - cold. It can be either quite bright or rather soft. Colors are light, pastel, with white or light blue admixture.

The palette is associated with tenderness, freshness, childhood, as well as relaxation at the sea, with light turquoise water, light greens, yellowish white sand, delicate flowers and carelessness.

Light warm color ("Light Spring") - "Tender Palette" - "Tender" palette.

The leading characteristic is light, the additional characteristic is neutral - warm. It can be either quite bright or rather soft. The colors are light, cheerful, with a white or light golden admixture.

The palette is associated with youth, joy, flowering fruit trees, all colors are imbued with delicate gold and remind of the rebirth of nature.

Warm bright color ("Warm Spring") - "Lively Palette" - "Cheerful" palette

The leading characteristic is warm, the additional characteristic is bright. It can be either quite light or quite dark. Colors with a distinct bright gold undertone.

The palette is associated with a meadow in the midst of spring with a multitude of bright colors - lilac, yellow, red, purple, with the golden color of the sun and the blue of the spring sky.

Warm soft color ("Warm Autumn") - "Spicy palette" - "Spice palette"
http://www.pinterest.com/shahrazade/ch-warm-and-soft/

The leading characteristic is warm, additional - soft. It can be either quite light or quite dark. Colors with a distinct ocher undertone.

The palette is associated with spices - pepper, turmeric, govozdik, saffron, mustard and autumn nature, deep blue water and warm foliage colors.

Cold bright color ("Cold winter") - "Noble Palette", "Noble" palette

The leading characteristic is cold, the additional characteristic is bright. It can be quite dark or quite light. Colors with a bright blue undertone.

The palette is associated with the world of the Snow Queen - with icy luxury, detachment and some drama, this is a palette of precious stones.

Cold soft color - ("cold summer") - "Elegant Palette" - "Elegant" palette.

The leading characteristic is cold, the additional characteristic is soft, it can be either rather light or rather dark. Colors with a soft blue undertone.

The palette is associated with elegance, with restrained colors of northern summer with blue cool water, bluish-green summer foliage and shades of berries.

All information in this article is the intellectual property of the author, so the repost is only with an indication of the source. =)

Path to Your Charm Project 2014, Color Harmony 2014

Color harmony

The phenomenon of color is far from simple. As already noted, on the one hand, color refers to the physical properties of reality, it can be measured with instruments, and its properties can be mathematically modeled as it happens in colorimetry, and as such, color has an objective meaning. On the other hand, color is a subjective psychophysiological sensation that is embodied in certain emotional states that are different for different people; moreover, this ambiguity of it is the main interest for the fine arts.

Analyzing the technology of color images, it is necessary to remember all the time about these two of its hypostases: natural science and psychoaesthetic. If we consider the phenomenon of color in historical terms, then these two approaches reveal themselves quite clearly. At the same time, attempts to understand what color is and what is its meaning in the visual arts and in culture in general are always expressed in the desire to somehow systematize color, create a single system, and on its basis penetrate the secret of harmonic combinations. It is quite possible that color harmony is not an objective reality that only needs to be discovered, as many believed after Newton, but just a property of our aesthetic consciousness, as Goethe believed; harmony does not exist outside of our perception, just as the concept of color does not exist outside the perception. Therefore, in different historical epochs, different harmonious combinations prevailed among different peoples, or rather, completely different color combinations were considered harmonious or inharmonious.

Let us trace in the most general terms the dynamics of the change in the color ideal based on the material of fine art. But first, a few words about the symbolism of color.

The problem of color symbolism is associated with the psychological impact of color, and with its systematics and classification. At the origins of culture, color was equivalent to a word, since it served as a symbol of various things and concepts, and the simplest or basic colors turned out to be the most stable color symbols. It is noticed that the role of color symbolism in society is proportional to the share of mythologism in its thinking. As the role of rationalism grows, so does the role of symbolism. In our time, color symbolism retains its position in heraldry, the functional coloring of production facilities, in traffic signaling and in surviving everyday ritual activities.

In more complex cases, as, for example, in art, the treatment of color allows for the same freedom (or rather, ambiguity in interpretation) as the treatment of a word in modern literature. Today, some theoretical premises in color solutions based on the symbolism of color seem in many ways too speculative and unconvincing. The color scheme itself can be very interesting and innovative (as, for example, in the film by cameraman V. Storaro "The Reds"), but theoretical justifications based on subjective symbolism seem to be completely unnecessary props; there is even some degree of mystification in all this. So, Storaro argued that the gray-brown tones in his film symbolize the earthly aspirations of the characters, like the roots and trunk of a tree, and green and generally saturated shades corresponding to the fresh greenery of the crown and flowers symbolize their inner, spiritual world.

In the future, examining the issues of color, we will talk in detail about the specifics of film color, about the metaphoricality of color in cinema, but here I would like to note that discussions about the symbolism of color in cinema are mostly artificial and far-fetched.

In the era of Greco-Roman antiquity, color became the subject of attention and reflections of philosophers, but the views of color philosophers can be called artistic rather than scientific, because aesthetic and even ethical prerequisites lay at the heart of their perception of the world. Ancient philosophers considered it necessary to classify colors - to highlight the main and derivatives, but they approached this mainly from mythological positions. In their opinion, the main colors should correspond to the main elements (air, fire, earth and water - white, red, black and yellow). Nevertheless, Aristotle already knew the phenomenon of color induction, simultaneous and sequential color contrast, and many other phenomena that later became the basis of physiological optics. But the most important thing is the teaching about color harmony.

Antique color aesthetics became for the entire European art of the Renaissance the same foundation as ancient philosophy for the science of the Enlightenment. Harmony was considered a universal principle of the universe and was applied to a wide variety of phenomena: to the structure of the Cosmos, to social order, to architecture, to the relation of colors and numbers, to music, the human soul, etc. In its most general form, harmony meant the principle of a higher, "divine" order, instituted not by man, but by higher forces, but, despite this, such an order should be fully understandable for man, since it is based on reason. This, by the way, is the difference between the Western concept of harmony and the Eastern one, in which there are always elements of mysticism and unknowability.

Here are some of the provisions of ancient harmony in relation to color:

1. Communication, the combination of individual elements of the system with each other. Harmony is the linking principle. In color, this is expressed by the unity of the color tone, when all the colors are brought together, as it were, with a common bloom, each paint is either whitened (in the background), or blackened, or softened by mixing in another paint. Apelles, according to Pliny, having finished the painting, covered it with something like a grayish varnish in order to bind all the colors into a harmonious unity.

2. The unity of opposites, when there are certain opposite principles, called contrasts. In monochrome, this is the contrast of light and dark, chromatic and colorless (for example, purple with white, red with black), saturated colors with low saturation. Or is it contrasts in color tone - a comparison of red and green, yellow and blue, etc., i.e. communication of complementary, complementary colors.

3. Harmonious can only be associated with the measure, and the measure is human sensations and feelings. According to Aristotle, every sensation is a definition of ratios. The brightness and color strength should not be too strong or too weak. Bright color, sharp contrasts were considered barbarism, worthy of "some Persians" (the age-old enemies of Hellas). The civilized Greek appreciates beauty more than wealth, the subtlety of art pleases him more than the high cost of material.

4. The concept of measure is relative, it means the ratio of the measured quantity to the unit of measurement, therefore it includes such definitions as proportionality, proportions, relations. Aristotle believed that in “beautiful” colors the proportions in which the primary colors are taken are not accidental: “Those colors in which the most correct proportion is observed, like sound harmonies, appear to be the most pleasant. Such are the dark red and violet ... and some others of the same kind, which are few for the reason that there are few musical harmonic accords. "

The whole practice of antique applied art is based on the principle that mixing is more valued in color than purity.

5. The harmonic system is stable because it is balanced. The universe is eternal because it is harmoniously arranged, the opposing forces in it mutually cancel each other out, creating a stable balance. If the figures in the picture are dressed in bright cloaks, then these relatively saturated spots occupy no more than one-fifth or one-sixth of the whole picture in area. The rest of the colors are low-saturated. Light to dark is taken in about the same ratio. Thanks to this proportional system, an overall balance of the color composition is achieved: strong, but short pulses of bright and pure colors are balanced by longer, but weak fields of dark and mixed colors.

6. The sign of harmony is its clarity, the obviousness of the law of its construction, simplicity and consistency, both as a whole and in parts. The classical color composition does not pose difficult tasks for the viewer, comparisons of close or opposite colors are preferable in it and are almost never used as a color dominant of the comparison in the middle interval, since they have neither an obvious connection nor opposition (more on this will be said on the example of color circle).

7. Harmony always reflects the sublime. According to Aristotle, "mimesis" is a reflection of reality in the forms of reality itself, art only imitates nature, but at the same time does not reproduce the ugly and ugly - this is not part of the task of art.

8. Harmony is conformity and expediency, as well as order. In this principle, the attitude of ancient aesthetics to the world is expressed in the most general form: the goal of human cultural activity is to transform the formless and ugly world of chaos into a beautiful and orderly space. Any harmonious color composition is so organized and ordered that it is easily comprehended by the human mind and lends itself to logical interpretation.

From this enumeration of the main features of antique color harmony, it is clear that many of them have not lost their significance to this day.

In the Middle Ages, color served as a kind of means of communicating information or a sign that distinguishes certain objects. There was, as it were, a color code that was understandable to all members of society. It was used in all visual structures, in all the creations of human hands that were visible: in architecture, decoration of temples and palaces, in clothing, painting, sculpture, book graphics, theater. Moreover, in relation to different colors, there was the same hierarchy as in all other areas of life. There were colors "main, divine": white, gold, purple, red and blue, as well as yellow (he depicted gold). Below on the hierarchical ladder stood green and black. The same colors as gray, brown and the like, as if they were not noticed at all and they tried not to be used. It was believed that the contemplation of "divine" and "royal" flowers elevates the spirit of a person, instilling in him a pious structure of thoughts. In France and Italy, the use of blue paint was even controlled by the state, just as it was done in relation to purple in late antiquity. The symbolic meaning of white was enshrined in Scripture, white meant holiness, faith, etc. Black, as a symbol of death, meant the mortification of the flesh and, in general, was a sign of humility and rejection of worldly joys. Hence the black color of the clothes of the clergy and monks. However, for the higher clergy - the prelates of the Roman Church, the "unrepresentative" black color was replaced by purple, because purple is the closest to black.

During the Renaissance, the works of Leon Batista Alberti (1404-1472) and Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) were more closely associated with the practice of fine art and have not lost their relevance to this day. The questions raised in them can be divided into two groups:

1) all kinds of color phenomena in nature and painting, the effect of illumination on color, reflexes, aerial perspective, color interaction (color induction, color contrasts, human body color, some features of visual perception of color, irradiation, adaptation and edge contrast);

2) issues of color aesthetics in relation to painting, i.e. which color combinations should be considered harmonious and which should not. Today it is not at all superfluous to recall what Alberti wrote about several hundred years ago: "It seems to me obvious that colors change under the influence of light, because every color placed in the shade does not seem to be what it is in the light."

Unfortunately, for many of our contemporaries, this does not seem so obvious. “Colors are very akin to lights in terms of visibility; and how related they are, you can see by the fact that in the absence of light, colors are also absent, and when the light returns, the colors return. "

In essence, here is stated the main point that characterizes the entire process of tone and color reproduction when changing the exposure.

In the Renaissance understanding, in comparison with the antique, the main characteristics of color (hue, lightness and saturation) are already different, as we now say. It is interesting that white and black are denied the names of colors, but they are recognized as the main colors in painting. “Black and white,” writes Leonardo, “although they are not counted among colors,” since one is darkness, and the other is light, that is, one is deprivation, and the other is a product of color - yet I do not want to leave them aside on this basis, since in painting they are the main ones, for painting consists of shadows and lights, i.e. from light and dark ".

Despite the fact that the theorists of the Renaissance are unanimous that the main means in painting are drawing, composition, perspective and chiaroscuro, while color is given a secondary, as it were, a decorative role, they, contradicting themselves, vigilantly note reflexes and painted shadows. Leonardo writes: “The color of the shadow of each object is always involved in the color of the object casting a shadow, and to the greater or lesser extent, the closer or farther this object is from this shadow and the more or less it is luminous. The surface of any shaded body participates in the color of its opposing object. " "White is more susceptible to any color than any other surface of any body, as long as it is not mirrored."

And Alberti writes about reflexes: "A person walking in a meadow in the sun looks green from his face."

Leonardo goes on to say: “It often happens that the colors of the shadows on shaded bodies do not match the colors in the highlights, or that the shadows appear greenish and the highlights appear pinkish, although the body is the same color. This happens if light comes to an object from the east and illuminates it with the light of its radiance, and from the west there is another object illuminated by the same light, but it itself is of a different color than the first object. Therefore, he casts his reflected rays back to the east and illuminates with his rays the side of the first object facing him. I have often seen red lights and bluish shadows on a white object. "

These observations of Leonardo were used in painting only at the end of the 19th century by the Impressionists, and he himself, contrary to obvious facts, in his artistic practice could not cross the traditions of local painting and warned his contemporaries against this. For artists of the early Renaissance, the color of objects was presented as their integral property, it always acted unchanged and was only diluted or, accordingly, darkened with white or black paint, so the problem of color harmony for them was solved by combining subject or local colors, which, accordingly, based on the composition grouped on the plane of the picture.

Everyone knows the masterpieces of the Renaissance, where amazing decorative effects were achieved in this way. These are paintings by Raphael, Michelangelo, Botticelli and other artists associated with the culture of the Correggio Academy. Later, the Renaissance had a completely different attitude to the aesthetics of color comparisons than Alberti and Leonardo, who considered the contrast of local colors to be the basis of harmony. Later, the aesthetics of harmony through opposition gave way to the aesthetics of harmony through analogy, in modern terms. But the bright decorative effect, which is achieved by the harmony of local colors, is still used in painting. For example, in the paintings of Petrov-Vodkin.

There is an interesting point of view that explains why Renaissance artists painted in local color. The fact is that the technique in which they worked (tempera) did not allow one layer of paint to be applied to another. This became possible when the Van Eyck brothers began using oil paints. If we accept this version, then we will have to admit how much technology affects aesthetics, which is confirmed today by the example of color photography, film and television.

The 17th century was a turning point in the history of European culture. Rationalism and mechanism became the main methods of science. Researchers saw their task in dissecting the object under study, dividing it into its component parts, while, of course, analysis dominated synthesis, and a systematic approach, as we say now, in this case was impossible. Despite this, Newton can be considered the founder of the physical science of color, because he put it on a solid foundation of a physical experiment with mathematical processing of the results. He asserted the organic unity of light and color, their physical identity and believed that color is always there and only manifests itself under certain conditions: "I found that all colors of all bodies are generated only from some arrangement that promotes the reflection of some rays and the transmission of others." ... Newton created an objective physical basis for color taxonomy by enclosing natural spectral colors with magenta and arranging them in a circle.

Fig. 12 Newton's color wheel.

This circle (Fig. 12) has proven to be a very convenient tool for calculating the results of mixing color rays (additive synthesis).

Somewhat later, it was Newton's doctrine that prompted Goethe to begin the study of color, as we would now say, on an alternative basis, as a result of which physiological optics and the doctrine of the psychological effect of color arose.

In the 19th century, the scientific systematics of color was already used by painters; Delacroix showed how, using the color wheel and triangle, to facilitate the solution of coloristic problems, and in the 70s the Impressionists and Neo-Impressionists already used optical color addition in their artistic practice. It was impossible to do this without knowing the teachings of Newton.

The great Flemish painter Rubens provoked violent attacks from his colleagues at one time for the fact that his palette was more multicolored than the canons of classicism allowed. Color in baroque art then came to one of the main places, but theoretically it was not comprehended in any way, and only in 1673 Roger de Pyle, in his "Dialogues on Color", characterized the features of this style in relation to painting.

1. Color is not a secondary medium: “In paintings, well-designed coloring is especially appreciated, even if the drawing is mediocre. And precisely because the drawing can be found in something else: in engravings, statues, reliefs ... at the same time, we can find beautiful color only in paintings. "

2. One should not be afraid of exaggeration in coloring: “As a painter adjusts the proportions of his model, so a painter should not literally reproduce all the colors that he sees; he selects those that he needs, and if he considers it necessary, he adds others in order to obtain an effect that will contribute to the achievement of beauty. "

3. In painting there is no difference between chiaroscuro and color, chiaroscuro is inextricably linked with color: "Correctly used lights and shadows do the same work as colors."

4. Light and color are compositional elements: "The ability called" light-dark "is the ability to distribute light not only on individual objects, but on the entire surface of the painting."

Roger de Pille believed that a well-thought-out distribution of light and shade and color in a picture can achieve the unity of the composition, no matter how many elements there are in it. The principle of the "bunch of grapes" discovered by Titian was used as an example. Titian piled objects or figures together, as if in a bunch of grapes, in which the lighted berries create a common light mass, and those in the shade make up a dark mass. From this, the entire group is well surveyed with one glance, but at the same time its individual parts are also clearly distinguishable. Rubens lived for some time in Venice, where Tintoretto allegedly told him that Titian used this principle of "bunch of grapes" in his multi-figured compositions.

5. According to Roger de Peel, the basis of color harmony is contrasting juxtapositions, as well as "sympathy of colors", i.e. consonance of shades of the same color. And despite the fact that contrasting (warm-cold) is fundamental for colorism, there should always be a third, middle one between two opposite colors, participating in one and the other in order to achieve harmony. Reflexes serve this, and harmony is achieved primarily through reflexes.

De Pil also wrote about the psychological effects of color, about color associations. He divided colors into heavy and light, moving away and approaching, introduced the term "earthly" (brown) and "airy" (blue). In the coloring of objects, he distinguished between local color (usually the color of lights), reflex, flare and color of illumination, and this was a big step forward.

The German poet Wolfgang Goethe wrote: “Everything that I have done as a poet does not fill me with special pride. Beautiful poets lived at the same time as me, even better poets lived before me and, of course, will live after me. But that in my age I am the only one who knows the truth about the difficult science of colors - I cannot but attach importance to this, it gives me the consciousness of superiority over many. "

Goethe fundamentally, ideologically disagreed with Newton's position and believed that he had to fight his "delusions". He was looking for the principle of harmonization of colors not in physical laws, but in the laws of color vision, and we must give him his due, in many ways he was right; no wonder he is considered the ancestor of physiological optics and the science of the psychological effects of color.

Goethe worked on his "Doctrine of Color" from 1790 to 1810; twenty years, and the main value of this work lies in the formulation of subtle psychological states associated with the perception of contrasting color combinations. Goethe describes in his book the phenomena of color induction - luminance, chromatic, simultaneous and sequential - and proves that the colors arising from sequential or simultaneous contrast are not accidental. All these colors are, as it were, embedded in our organ of vision. The contrast color arises as the opposite of the inductive one, i.e. imposed on the eye, just as inhalation alternates with exhalation, and any contraction entails expansion. This is the manifestation of the universal law of the integrity of psychological life, the unity of opposites and unity in diversity.

Each pair of contrasting colors already contains the entire color circle, since their sum - white - can be decomposed into all conceivable colors and, as it were, contains them in potency. From this follows the most important law of the activity of the organ of vision - the law of the necessary change of impressions. “When the eye is offered the dark, it requires the light; he demands the dark, when he is presented with the light, and manifests his vitality, his right to grasp the object by generating from himself something opposite to the object. " Let us recall the "pendulum of emotions" that we mentioned in the previous chapter.

Goethe's experiments with colored shadows showed that diametrically opposite (complementary) colors are precisely those that mutually evoke each other in the mind of the viewer. Yellow requires blue-violet, orange requires cyan, and magenta requires green, and vice versa. Goethe also built a color wheel (ill, 13), but the sequence of colors in it is not a closed spectrum, like Newton's, but a round dance of three pairs of colors. And these pairs are additional, i.e. half spawned by the human eye and only half independent of man. The most harmonious colors are those that are located opposite, at the ends of the diameters of the color wheel, they call each other and together form an integrity and completeness, similar to the fullness of the color wheel. Harmony, according to Goethe, is not an objective reality, but a product of human consciousness.

Ill. 13 To Goethe's theory of color harmony.

According to Goethe, in addition to harmonic combinations, there are "characteristic" and "characterless". The former include pairs of colors located in the color wheel through one color, and the latter - pairs of adjacent colors. Harmonious coloring, according to Goethe, arises when "all neighboring colors are brought into equilibrium with each other." But harmony, says Goethe, despite all its perfection, should not be the ultimate goal of the artist, because the harmonious always has "something universal and complete, and in this sense, devoid of character." This unusually subtle remark echoes what Arnheim later said about the entropic nature of the image perception process and about the fact that images harmonized in all parameters often lack expressiveness and expression.

Goethe's book contains several very subtle definitions of color. For example, in painting there is a technique of shifting all colors to any one color, as if the picture was viewed through colored glass, for example, yellow. Goethe calls this color false. "This fake tone arose out of instinct, out of a misunderstanding of what to do, so homogeneity was created instead of wholeness." Such a color glaze, which is often considered a sign of good taste in color cinema, does not at all deserve such respect for itself, and that there are other, more perfect ways of obtaining color harmony, which, however, require more work and a higher visual culture.

It may seem to the reader that such a large excursion into the history of painting is superfluous, that all the issues discussed are related only to painting, but this is not so. The fact is that all Goethe's observations about color interactions, about harmony refer not only to a colored object, but, to the same extent, to its image, since the laws of perception of color and contrast in both of these cases are the same. Otherwise, we would never be able to realize the similarity of an object and an image, and most importantly, we would never be able to experience the emotional state that arises when perceiving a work of fine art.

From the book Verbosity-1: A book you can talk to the author Maksimov Andrey Markovich

HARMONY ... And here's one more conclusion, which we repeat regularly and will repeat again: a person should move along the road to happiness, that is, a feeling of harmony with himself and with the world. But the question immediately arises: is it possible to talk about harmony in our, absolutely

From the book The Jewish World the author Telushkin Joseph

Chapter 279 Family Harmony / Shlom Bayt If your wife is short, the Talmud teaches, “bend over to hear her whisper.”

From the book of 111 symphonies the author Mikheeva Lyudmila Vikentievna

the author Black Lyudmila Alekseevna

2. Harmony of the "inner" and "outer" person

From the book Metaphysics stalemate the author Girenok Fedor Ivanovich

4.15. Harmony Harmony is the nail. Brace connecting the parts. Cohabitation. The ability to be together without a soul. What's together? Rough body and cold spirit. Without harmony, the world will disintegrate. The house will crumble. The spirit will fall away from the body. Harmony is everywhere. Music is everywhere. And this aesthetic perception

From the book Anthropological Code of Old Russian Culture the author Black Lyudmila Alekseevna

2. Harmony of "internal" and "external" person In the XIV-XV centuries. in Russia, the completion of the formation of the medieval image of man, in which ideas about human "nature" (the essence of human nature), the relationship between body and soul,

From the book Color and Contrast. Technology and creative choice the author Zheleznyakov Valentin Nikolaevich

Color harmony The phenomenon of color is not at all simple. As already noted, on the one hand, color refers to the physical properties of reality, it can be measured using instruments, and its properties can be mathematically modeled in the same way as in colorimetry, and in this