1: What is Simultaneous Contrast?

2: A Brief and Interesting History

3: Examples

4: Color Tips

1: What is Simultaneous Contrast?

It all comes down to an important scientific phenomenon: simultaneous contrast.

Simultaneous contrast refers to the way in which two colors affect each other. 

When a different color is placed next to a color, it can change how we perceive the tone and hue of that color, even though it’s the exact same color. 

For example, when you place a gray rectangle inside different color shapes, the gray will take on a tint of the complementary color of the surrounding color.

Did you notice that the first gray within the yellow rectangle had a purple tint, while the gray within the green rectangle had a reddish tint? It’s quite fascinating, isn’t it?

The science behind it is that the human eye simultaneously demands the complementarity of a particular color it sees. As an example, when you look at a blue object for a while and then close your eyes, you will see the complementary color of blue, which is orange, in your mind’s eye.

2: A Brief and Interesting History

Simultaneous contrast was first described in the 19th century by Chevreul in his famous book on color theory, “The Principles of Harmony and Contrast of Colors,” published in 1839 (translated into English in 1854).

While working in a carpet-making factory, Chevreul discovered that the reason people complained about the carpet dye appearing “dull” was not due to the dye itself, but rather how the colors were arranged next to each other. This led him to conduct thorough research and publish his book.

In the book, Chevreul systematically studied color and color perception, demonstrating how our brains perceive color and value. He discovered that when two colors are placed close together in proximity, each color can take on the hue of the complement of the adjacent color. For example, if a dark red and a light yellow are seen side by side, the red will appear shifted toward violet, while the yellow will appear shifted toward green. Additionally, dull or near-neutral colors can make saturated colors appear more intense.

3. Examples:

Georges Seurat – “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte”: Seurat’s famous pointillist painting is a prime example of simultaneous contrast. By applying small dots of contrasting colors next to each other, Seurat achieved the optical mixing of colors in the viewer’s eye, creating vibrant and luminous effects.

Bridget Riley – Op Art: Riley’s optical art relies heavily on the use of simultaneous contrast. Her geometric patterns and repetitive shapes in contrasting colors create optical illusions, producing a sense of movement and depth that captivates the viewer.

4. Color Tips:

• Dark colors next to bright colors make the bright color appear even brighter and the dark color appears darker.
• Warmer colors look warmer when placed next to cooler colors.
• Cooler colors look cooler when placed next to warmer ones.
• A bright color next to a muted color makes the muted color appear more dull, and vice versa.
• If two colors have similar brightness, they will appear less bright when placed next to each other.

In addition to the above tips, when painting, it is helpful to start with a thin wash of colors and gradually build up layers. This allows you to view and judge the colors as they are applied together. I avoid finishing a small area of a painting first, as I never know how the color will appear next to other colors once the painting is complete.

I hope you find these insights on simultaneous contrast and color contrast in art helpful in your artistic endeavors!

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So many of you showed interest in my Color series ebook. Don’t worry, I am working on it, and will keep you updated. 

Today we will continue our color series—the revolutionary Impressionists and how they changed the way we look at art. 

1: How traditional artists use colors

2: The rise of The Impressionism

3: Examples 

4: How to use Impressionist Techniques for Vibrant Paintings

1: How traditional artists use colors

Traditional artists since the Renaissance have primarily utilized local color in their paintings. 

Local color refers to the true color of an object as it appears under neutral white light. 

For example, in these two beautiful portraits made by 16 century Germain painter Hans Holbein the Younger, you can see even the background is vibrant blue, the artists didn’t paint any reflected blue light on the person’s skin. And the shadows are combinations of blacks and browns.

Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) – Portrait d’Hermann von Wedigh III

Portrait of a Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling 

2. The rise of Impressionism

As the wheel of time turned to the 19th century, it brought the rise of the Impressionists to prominence. 

They propelled color to the forefront in the art world, revolutionizing the traditional artist’s approach to color. 

Few art movements have had as profound and lasting an impact as Impressionism. 

This movement was not just a stylistic departure but a radical rethinking of how art interacts with the natural world. 

At the heart of Impressionism is a focus on capturing the ephemeral moments of light and color, offering a fresh perspective that continues to inspire artists today.

Instead of seeing color as merely the object’s local tone, the Impressionists painted the colors as they perceived them with their eyes, understanding that light can dramatically alter colors. Under varying lighting conditions, skin tone is not just the pasty pinkish-yellow; it can appear blue, red, green, shadows are not just made of blacks and grey, but a mixture of colors like blues, purples, greens, etc

3. Examples:

Some of my favorite Impressionists are Claude Monet,Edgar Degas,Camille Pissarro, Berthe Morisot, and Mary Cassatt. 

Let’s take Degas’s famous ballerina paintings as an example: Notice that in each of these paintings, the ballerina’s skin tone takes on the color of the environment. This means that the skin tone includes many patches of greens, blues, and reds—colors that would never appear in traditional skin tones.

4: How to use Impressionist Techniques for Vibrant Paintings

To infuse your paintings with the vibrancy and light of Impressionism, consider adopting some of their revolutionary techniques:

1. Observe Light and Its Effects: Pay close attention to how light transforms colors and shapes in the natural world. This will help you understand how to replicate the dynamism of light in your work.

2. Experiment with Color Temperature: Use warm and cool colors to create contrast and depth. Placing them next to each other can make your paintings pop with life.

Camille Pissarro, The church and farm at erany

3. Break Down Objects into Color Patches: Rather than focusing on detailed outlines, try to see your subjects as a collection of color patches. This can help capture the fleeting impressions that the Impressionists so cherished.

Mary Cassatt, Mother and child

4. Use Complementary Colors for Shadows: Instead of traditional greys or blacks, experiment with complementary colors for shadows to add vibrancy to your paintings. 

Berthe Morisot, Young woman seated on a sofa

5. Embrace Plein Air Painting: Like many Impressionists, painting outdoors can provide you with a direct experience of light and color, enriching your work with authenticity and immediacy.

The Impressionists revolutionized the art world with their innovative use of color and light, offering a new way of seeing that transcends the boundaries of time. 

To know more about this movement, click this link: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/imml/hd_imml.htm

By adopting their techniques and embracing their spirit of experimentation, you can bring a piece of that revolutionary vibrancy into your own paintings. 

I am planning on using many of these tips I shared with you in my future paintings.

Let me know what you think about this post, or share with an artist friend !

The post Color series 9 – The Impressionists: appeared first on Ying McLane.

1. Opaque
2. Transparent
3. Translucent
4. Tinting strength 
5. Simple Exercise

1. Opaque Color

Just like the name suggests, opaque oil colors are thick and dense. This is because the pigments usually contain clays, iron, or heavy metals, resulting in great covering strength. Opaque colors are often used in direct painting methods, or as the final layer of a painting.

Commonly used opaque colors are:

• All Cadmium colors
• Yellow Ochre
• Naples Yellow
• Titanium White

2. Transparent Color

Transparent colors are a subset of paint pigments that, as the name suggests, allow light to pass through them. When applied in thin layers, they maintain their transparency, which is a valuable characteristic for artists. They typically come from colored liquids mixed with chalk or other substances to give body to the paint.

When brushed in a thin layer on a surface, you will see the colors are clear and show through the color underneath it. These colors are invaluable for creating subtle shifts in color, depth, and luminosity in a painting.

Typical transparent colors are:

• Quinacridone Red (also called Rose Red, Halo Red, or Permanent Rose)
• Ultramarine Blue
• Cerulean Blue
• Transparent Oxide Brown

Check this link for a detailed post about transparent color: https://yingmclane.com/how-transparent-colors-elevate-your-painting/

3. Translucent Color

Neither totally opaque nor totally transparent, translucent colors are in between. When brushed in a thin layer, a translucent color will appear cloudy. They work well when applied over another color, allowing the lower layer to show slightly through, creating an interesting layered effect.

Typical translucent colors are:

• Zinc White
• Green Earth colors

4. Tinting strength

Tinting strength means the ability of a color can affect other colors when mixed together. 

When use colors with high tinting strength, like when you use Cadmuim Red to mix with skin tone and add warmth to it, you only need to use a very tiny amount of it or it will over powering the mixture.

Colors with low tinting strength, on the other hand, is very easily overwhelmed by other colors when you mix them together. Naples Yellow is a typical low tinting strength color. 

5: Simple Exercises

Doing a simple color density test, or tint test, is a good way to identify and get familiar with colors. Grab a canvas or canvas pad, lay out the color you’d like to test, organizing them by groups like reds, yellows, blues.

Now, put down a brush width of the color directly from the tube. Next, use a little linseed oil to mix with each of the samples and make a brush width of color under the original color. This is for testing the transparency of each color. Lastly, mix the original color with a little Titanium White, to test the tint of each color.

Now for each color, you will have three squares of color variation to test. Compare each variation and see the transparency and tint of each color. 

Since the colors straight from the tube could be deceptive to the eyes or they may appear the same in a color group. By making these tests, you can see the color’s true identity and have a better understanding of each color’s property.

Hope this post is helpful. Leave a comment or share with a friend!

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