Colours!!! Basic or secondary — or perhaps of lesser classification — warm, cool or neutral — or somewhere in between — bright or dull — or simply present — transparent or opaque, natural or synthetic, applied in thin layers or in thick pastes: colours are everywhere, creating harmony — or breaking it.
But why do some colours work together while others do not? Which combinations are harmonious and balanced, and which are not? And why is this important not only to the Artist, but also to the viewer?
From the ancient Greek painter Polygnotus (5th century B.C.) and the philosopher and polymath Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) to the American painter Albert Henry Munsell (1858-1918) — and not forgetting such great personalities as Newton, Goethe, Kandinsky, Jung, Itten and many others, including philosophers, artists, psychologists and physicists — colour, its properties, its combinations, its balance and its harmony have been major subjects of artistic and intellectual inquiry, particularly because of the emotions and psychological responses they evoke.
Various theories have been proposed concerning colour harmony, which is perhaps the central concern. One theory is superseded by another, which in turn becomes commonplace before being challenged by something newer, and so on.
The fact remains that colour and colour harmony are by no means simple subjects.
And it seems that our understanding of colour changes alongside our perception of aesthetics, society and social norms — as well as our desire to challenge and break those norms. This is reflected in the succession of different art movements.
What, then, is the correct perspective?
Is it the idealism of ancient Greece? The exaggeration of the Hellenistic period? The chiaroscuro of the Baroque? The austerity and precision of Neoclassicism? The chromatic explosion of Impressionism? The modern perception of colour?
All of them? None of them? Something else? Something new? And which system is correct?
Is it Polygnotus’ four-colour scale? Aristotle’s white (light) and black (darkness)? Goethe’s primary-secondary-tertiary approach? Jung’s four colour energies? Munsell’s three-dimensional colour system? Itten’s concept of neutral grey as the result of colour mixing?
There is no single correct answer. It is a matter of questions and perceptions — something closer to pure philosophy.
Colours are philosophy!
