2 COLOR AND COLOR EXPOSURE

The concept of color is used to refer to the actual color pigment or material, which can be physically and chemically defined and analyzed.

Color vision that occurs in the eyes and in the mind of man, has its content and meaning. However, the eyes and the brain can come to a clear distinction of color only through comparisons and contrasts. The meaning and value of a chromatic color can only be determined by its relation to some achromatic color — black, white or gray, or by its relation to one or several other chromatic colors. The perception of color, in contrast to its physico-chemical reality, is a psycho-physiological reality.

The psychophysiological reality of color is exactly what I call color effects. The color as such and the color effect are identical only with harmonious consonance. In all other cases, the color instantly acquires a changed, new quality. Here are some examples.

It is known that a white square on a black background will appear larger than a black square of the same size on a white background. White color radiates and goes beyond its limits, while black leads to a reduction in the size of the planes it occupies.

A light gray square appears dark on a white background, but the same light gray square on black is perceived as light.

In Figure 58, a yellow square is given on a white and on a black background. On a white background, it appears darker, giving the impression of a gentle gentle warmth. On black, it becomes extremely light and acquires a cold, aggressive character.

In Figure 59, the red square is depicted on white and on a black background. On white, red appears very dark and weak. But on black the same red becomes light and intense.

If the blue square is depicted on a white and black background, then on white it will look like a dark, deep color, and the white surrounding it will become even brighter than in the case of the yellow square. Against a black background, blue will brighten and acquire a bright, deep and glowing tone.

If the gray square is depicted on ice blue and on a red-orange background, then on ice blue it will turn reddish, while surrounded by red-orange it will turn bluish. The difference becomes very noticeable if these compositions are considered simultaneously.

When the color and impression of it (its effect) do not coincide, the color produces a discordant, moving, unreal and fleeting impression. The fact of the transformation of the material givenness of form and color into a virtual vibration gives the artist the opportunity to express what cannot be expressed in words.

The given examples could be considered as a manifestation of simultaneity. The possibility of simultaneous transformations forces us, when working on a color composition, to begin with an assessment of the effect of color and then, in accordance with this, think about the nature and size of color spots.

If the theme of the work comes from the first emotional impulse, then the whole process of shaping should be subordinated to this initial and basic feeling. If the main means of expression is color, the composition should begin with the definition of color spots, which will determine its drawing. Anyone who begins with a pattern and then adds color to lines will never achieve a convincing and strong color effect. Color has its own mass and radiation power and gives the plane a different value than the lines do.