Perception of Color

Color is by nature seen in relation to other colors. Color changes in variances of lighting conditions. The mediums used by an artist can affect color, be the textile or the brand of paint. A composition limited in the amount of hues is generally perceived to be more pleasurable than one with great amounts of hue. The variation should come in the multiplicity of values of one or a few hues so as to achieve contrast, middle value and progression. Some artists achieve this by first composing a pleasing work in black, white and grays. They then apply color accordingly by matching the values & saturation.

Color is something programmed into us with preconditioned associations (purple= royalty, pink=femininity, etc.) Newton's research inot the arena of color resulted in the observation that sunlight is composed of the full color spectrum. This visual spectrum's colors absorb or reflect any surface they touch. The reaction of the human eye to color is a Newtonian influenced study that was taken up by English Freemasons in the early 1700's as part of their Masonic work in their lodge rooms above taverns. They found that it is partly subjective due to the role the brain plays in perceiving color and how memories are correlated and influence a person's perception of a hue.