Visual Perception

A World Without Color

• the visual brain processes tonal information separately from color information
• humans are trichromats, meaning they have three kinds of color receptors

Is Moonlight Blue?

• moonlight is actually reddish (according to science)
• our visual system plays tricks on us when we look at things in dim light
• artists known for painting moonlight include: JMW Turner, James Whistler, Fredric Remington, and Maxfield Parrish
• paint some swatches and compare their shades in the moonlight
• they become more monochromatic
• red looks darker in the moonlight while greens look lighter

Edges and Depth

• edges: refer to the painterly control of blurriness, especially along the boundary of a form
• can help communicate depth/dim illumination
• depth of field; one plane of distance is in focus at a time
• blur increases as objects get farther from the plane of focus
• sharp edges are harder to see in the dark

Color Oppositions

• complements suggest an opposition of elemental principles 
• colors are the deeds of light
• all colors we see are the result of if interactions between opposing pairs of color receptors 

 

Color Constancy 

• refers to our automatic habit of interpreting local colors as stable, regardless of the effects of colored illumination, the distraction of cast shadows, and the variations of form modeling
• isolate colors by looking through the hole in your half-closed fist
• another is to hold up two fingers spread slightly apart
• paint a card half white and half black, then punch holes through either side

Adaptation and Contrast

• the experience of one color affects the way we perceive other colors
• successive contrast; when you look at an object of a certain color, your eyes adjust or adapt to that color. The resulting image affects what you see next
• the color temperature of the fill light makes the illuminated side appear to be composed of the complementary shadow
• appearance of color is affected by five factors:
• simultaneous contrast; the hue/saturation of a background color can induce opposite qualities in an object sitting next to it
• successive contrast; looking at one color changes the next color we see
• color constancy; local colors appear consistent
• size of the object; the smaller an object becomes the less distinct the color appears to be 
• chromatic adaptation; when the illumination changes in color temperature,  the sensitivity of color receptors changes in relative proportion, resulting in a balanced impression of color and light levels

Appetizing and Healing Colors

• colors express the main function of man
• chromotherapy; colors have specific therapeutic properties for the mind and body
• colors affect us on an emotional and psychological level