VI

.6

color appears as 2 __ looking like the reversed grounds

Having presented, in the previous problem, a very detailed explanation

of a ncp.by-step method of teaching and kaming. the following problem

permits a briefer description.

'Vith the first exercise in color interaction we make I color look like 2, or, what means lhe same, S colors look like 4. The next step is [0 make 3 colors look like 2, or, describing it as in the previous Lask,

I color is to show 2 faces which refer to the 2 colors of the reversed grounds, or, the changed color is to echo ule It changing ones.

After showing a few examples, the lask of producing similar eff«ts

is introduced with the question: Which color will play simultaneously the roles of the It colors of the 2 reciprocal grounds?

The first class exhibition of preliminary solutions shows that most of the trial colors selected appear closer to one ground than to the other.

However, when one tries to find a color that is equally close or equally distant from both grounds, one will discover that even a large collection of color paper (even that of the entire class) may not provide the fitting tone.

Then, instead of pushing the in-between color to one or the other side, we must consider changing I or both of the grounds, either moving closer to or more distant from the in-between color. (See diagram.)

After repeated trials it must be concluded that the only fitting color is the one which is topologically in the middle of the colors of the II grounds.

•

•

t

The task is to find this middle color.

This is relatively easy when the. grounds are of the same hue,

as with a lighter and a darker green ground,

or with a lighter and a darker violet ground. (See Folder VI -- 1.)

I t is a more challenging task to find the middle color

between. different hues (see Folder VI -- .),

but it is particularly interesting when the. grounds

are of opposing (complementary) colors. (See Folders VI -- 3 and 4.)

(See sample studies in Folders VI -- 1 through 7-)

VII

,8

2 different colors look alike -- subtraction of color

I form many different roles The fact that olle and the saHlC co OT can peT

is well known and is consciously applied.

LeM well known is the possibility in the previous exercise of giving a color the look of reversed grounds.

Still morc exciting is the next task, the reverse of the first: to make 2 different colors look alike.

In the first exercise it was learnffi thaL the more different

the grounds, the stronger is their changing influence.

It has been seen that color differences are caused by 2 factors: by hue and by light, and in most cases by both at the same time.

Recognizing this. pne is able to "push" light and/or hue.

by the use of COlllrasts, away £Tom their first appearance

toward lhe opposite qualities.

Since this amounts virtually to adding opposite qualities,

it follows that one might achieve p..1.rallel effects

by subtracting those qualities not desired.

This new experience can be achieved first by observing

.3 small samples of.3 reds on a white ground.

They will appear first of all - red.

Then when the .3 reds are placed on a ground of another red

their differences, which arc differences of hue as well as of light,

will become more obvious.

Third, when placed on a red ground equal to I of the 3 samples,

only 2 of the reds will "show:' and the lost one i s absorbed - subtracted.

Repeated similar experiments with adjacent colors will show

that any ground subtracts its own hue from colors which it carries

and therefore influences. ,

,

Additional experiments with light ;olors on lig?t ounds

and dark colors on dark grounds prove that the 'ght of a ground

subtracts in the same way that its hue does,

From this, it follows that any diversion among colors

in hue as well as in light-dark relationship

can be reduced if not obliterated visually on grounds

of equal qualities.

Such studies provide a broad training in analytical comparison and usually evoke surprising results, leading the student

to an intense study of color. (See Folders VII -- 1 through 7.)

IX 'U

. n of lran,parence

Color mixlure in paper -- I USIO

. . I a )eT there is no way

It is obvious that in workmg with co or P' I . . . and 1,;gmcllt permit,

of mixing the colors mechall1cally. as l)'llnl • .

. . I " 'II a conullncr, and as they IIlVlte one to do on a P.1 cue 0.' '

I d'. ' , ;, actuallY:1 dw11enge

Though this may first appear as a IlIn le,'I'. I • '

10 study color mixture in Ollf imagination. that is, 50 to s:.y.

with dosed eYe5·

Starting with the simple and well-known £;lel that blue and yellow

when mixed produce green, a blue and yellOW ;we selected

and held next to each other. One tries to imagine \"hat kind or green

would resull from a mixture o[ these 51: colol'S.

Then a paper is selected appropriate to this imagined mixture.

In order to find out whether the "thought-oUl" mixture is acceptable­believable _ convincing -- the 3 colors (i "color parcnu" and

, "color descendant") are placed in 3 equal rectangles as rollows:

Blue horizontally (I). green vertically (i) so that its opper po·1ft overlaps the blue. The yellOW is put on tOP

of the green (3). so that its tOP edge coincides \"ith the bottom edge of the blue.

In such placement. the green will be the "in-between" of the other colon

and thus their mixture.

8�lJt 8�UC

GflHN GflUN

-

U�IQW

, •

After the class has fo d 1 "-I ' Ull severa "'" !('vable nllxturo thot: liTe (Olleued roran exhihition (mou . 11 1

' practlC<l y, on t Ie lloor) and the most convincingOfld

aTC selected SomA 11 .. . . ... arc usua y more sna:�ful than othen. I he d:.» stato

thclr merits and Shortcoming! and suggesu possible cotTttlionJ and impnwemen.u.

By means of the exhibition, the swdclll.'J will be reminded that (hue are many hlud and many yellows. and will conclude thallhcre arc innumerable mixtura descending from them. It is obvious that any 2 colon can product: many mixtures.

In addition to the illusion of mixlUTc. another deception will be recognized­that, in an illusionary mixture in paper, I color �ems to show through the other. The "mixture" paper, therefore. loses its opi.city and appears transparem or translucent.

In order to make the eye read this double illusion of mixture and of

transparence, the colors must be placed in overlapping shapes. (See diagrams.)

In the drawing belOW, the hatched p.ULS belong to each o( the overlapping shapes

and are therefore the logical place for the mixture.

After simple mixtures, such as blue and yellow producing green - red and

blue producing violet - black and white producing grey - less common

pain, such as pink and ochre, present a further challenge.

For a more intensive experience, keep the area of the mixture

larger than those of the 2 mixing ones.

(See sample studies in Folders IX .. I through 3.)

]f we name 2 mixture parents A and B, and their mixture C,

then our first task is to find C's, which are mixtures of A and B,

another task will he B's conditioned by A C,

or, a third task, B c,

This invites one to draw conclusions backward, that is, to guess ..

from a mixture and I mixture parent .• the other mixture parent .

•

-

XI d ee-illusion Transparence an spa

d 1 stic action Color boundaries an P a

, porlanl discoveries. . . an/'f leads to 3 1m A study of color mixture In p, ,,_

. . '5 not as light . . ubtractlve mixture I First, under normal conditiOns, a S

d k s the darker onc. r th lor p.1renu nor as aT a as the lighter 0 e �o . . 11 neither higher nor lower Furthermore. the mixture IS reclprOCa y

in color intensity than the color parents.

\

, d d pon the proportion in which colors are mixed. Second a mixture epen s u

, • f blue and ydlow for instance. define the character Varymg amounts 0 , .

I t of a grttn. This indicates a possible predominance of I co or paren .

' d ' g above or below another Third, when I color IS rea as appearm . ' . ' d'es a third deception is recognized -- space-illusion. In the transparence stu I •

This leads to the next task: To produce different illusionary mixtures which derive from I ralr of parent colors. If the parents are again a blue and a yellow, some greens will be found with yellow dominance and others with blue dominance. With more mixing experience it will become apparent that the nearness of a mixture to one side (let us say yellow) necessitates distance from the opposite side (in this case blue).

After having found several mixtures of different p.'lirs of p.'lrem colon, we then try to find lhe most significalH and the most difficult mixture - the middle mixture. Topographically, this middle mixture demands precise placement, and therefore additional means of measure are necessary.

Since the middle mixture presupposes equidistance (rom the color p.'lfelllS, it therefore depends equally upon the absence o( any predominance o£ the color pare!lts.

lIere, lhe fOllowing diagrams moly be helpfUl:

"

"

•

==, .. ,

•

,

,

. . ,==

.................... C' =::=J .................. .

Of the � ban in each diagram. the black bar

(which appears either above, or below, or in the middle) represents

an in-between color. the mixture in question: that is, the one

to be "equidismnt" from the ,u:compallying while bars.

The latter represent possible color 1).1renl.'l for a color mixture.

The UPI>e1" bar repre�nl.'l a lighter (higher) color,

and the lower bar represenu a decl>CT (heavier) color.

In IA the mixture linc is nearer to the upper line, and is therefore tOO light:

in IIA the opposite happens. The middle color·lo-be is nearer to the

lower bar and consequently is tOO dark . • " or the Ilcccs.,ary corrC(tiom

in lA, we must look for a lOwer (darker) middle, and in II" for a higher

(lighter) middle,

Unfonunately, thOSe higlH�r and lower tOIlC$ arc often nOt avail:tble.

In such cases. we should 111' to adjust the outer (upper or lower) colon

- inste:td of lhe middle color .. in order to exen;ise llllother \�ay

of corrKt placement.

Thw, in In lhe lower bar i� hrtcd frOlllllle dtlllC{lline.

e.g. a lightcr color it chosen; in lin the upper b,lr i� lowered.

In c simililr ch:mgt) take pl�ce hut in Jln

opposite dire(;lioll from II. CJmp;lrin� gtoups II lind { will

demomtratc: IhOit {Ol r('('t arr:lngcnleltU !llay Ix'(ollIe { I(�I 10 III' !\Iort' dl�l:llli

from the middle color.

I' ' \III. on Ihe blackboard, 11{'\llte'" 1111 UP'Atlut ion \If thl' "WI e t J.1�1.

• , , . . d Irif)' tillS flirt leT. " pil)"'l.llltt'IUI'II'U,1t\Otl tn SI)'llC! 111.1) ,

" " ,1 ihiu:d on the oor \V!lt'll dl .. ""11* Ih� tll�t tllill �t\l( It�, e I . t fly

1 1 h:mds held hanlon a with lilt,' '1\I{IC'nt� ",II1<1h\& �u'(nl\l( I 1('1lI. It •

I 1I1)(l\(' thr \llhl"I 1lI;t) 11\lll� ,h(' II: Oilier ('0101'$. . ibililies I \onSlrnlt: various pass ml" Ihll\1 h,md held bell,'(:(:1\ thrill 111.1)' (en .

. , . . . •. . g the h'Uld m( IColung or colo! �t'I(\.tilln '111(\ 1)111(:('111('111. enh('1' v)' 1ll0\ III .

•. . S the ouler hands lip Ihi' 11I1<1(Ut' ('0101' "I) 01' dOlI n. Ill' I} mOl III

!lUd/OI ,IUlI'n. �in�l)' 01' 1(�lhel"

1 . . r . . -, it will be discovered wit h II mol''I' dC'I'e\ol.l«\ �cm tI\ II)' or 1111;1.11 .....

Ihut lIht,U\\ e, 11�II'ne�, \lnd ('(!uidhtullc(: OCIWC<:U colors . . I.� h iXlUre and the mIxture parents. (nn lit' l'ttl1Qnirrtl thrQush th� bouud.lnCS u.;lw�n t e III .

u)· ��tI'I idl\� ('Q1UJ)(lriron lind dhdncliou of color boundaries, a new and 1 , . • of color impOlI�1II 1lI�"�\I� Is Ipinrd for Ihe I't"�ding of I Ie p as[lC actIOn ,

thlll i'. 101' the SP;lIilll (,)I-ganil..ltioll of color.

$itM' $OrtN' OOuu<hH'ie$ di.sdO!ic H�al'lless implying connection, h:m.lcl' 1)01111(\:11"11.'$ inditllte diSI�IllL�. sep;Il'l'lliou,

111 1>\)lh iutl'q)l'c�mtiol\s 0101'$ �n'e pl:lctd llbo\'e or below each other, 01' i .. f1'om of or behind C:::lch olher. Tht)':t\'e read as here and there. :IS � lIud be)'Qud there. lmd IhcrdOl"C ill spac.e.

Ailihi $«:11\ to Chllllgt "'ith <'0101'$ producing middle mixtures. Sometimes tht)' ;'PI)(;lr at if ll1�eting within II t-tlimensional plane; at other times tlu·"y rllli bc l,(,td - iUIN'thllngeallly .. :IS highcr or lower than the mixture.

Thll$, with :t middle llli�llIl� 1'111 boundaries are equally soft or hard. A,I\ ('()t1\eqttcllrc, 1'1 middle Uli�l\lre !lPrears frontal. as a color by itself. Thi't i� (oUlf)(tltlblc 10 the:: fC:-.dhlg of auy symmelrical order "ml lhe IItiddlc miXIUl't: will �hr1\ e unsp.1.liall),. lillie' ih Own $11.11)(, or surrounding Sh.II�, dccidC$ differently,

(�l-�oldel's XI - I , 2, and g.)

Smh II Mudy. or 3 similar tt'COSni1iol\, in my opinion. led Cezanne I\) his IIlIlq\11' :lttd IIt'W tll'lit Ulfltiou in p.linting. He was lhe first I() tlC\C'lup wlol' IIrt;l� whkh pl'()(luc� both distinct and indistinct endings ""H'.iS (OIIlIC'(I«\ nnd UI\tonOl"tlffl -IU-cas with and witltoul boundaries .. 1111 1IIt:31U uf pluSli( o'lPtli).;:ttion.

Alltl, Inlllol"r 10 pre\1'1lt t\'l'nly IMhllro Im::ts from ioo\"'ing Rat !lnd fromal, hI;' u\td C'UlllllI'511ctl OOl'ti(,11 $1\;ld1\�I), mainly wh(:l'c he needed • '1);111111 �('P"hllion (1'OIIIII\Ijll('1I1 e'Qlol :1N'3 ,