aterco our
PAINTING
....\.
Jean-Louis Morelle
First published in the UK in 2003 by
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Copyright© Groupe Fleums-:'vlame, Paris, 1999
Copyright © colour triangle,jean-Louis Morelle, 1999
Copyright© English translation: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, 2003
All rights reserved. No pan of this publication may be reproduced,
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ISBN 1 84330 52 1 6
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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The author would like to thank f'rancoise Coffrant and Elisabeth
de Montmarin who encouraged him to write this book; Ewa Karpinska,
particularly for her productive conversations on the problems relating to
colour; Gerard Leserre and Philippe Mothe for their friendship and faith;
the Aittouares and Vanuxem gallenes; the photographers P Lesage and
j.-F Schall; and all the painters and those who love watercolours who
contributed to this work: Ulie Abadie, Wolf Arrich, Pierre Bergonhe,
Annick Berteaux, Marc-Fabien Bannard, Claude Boquin, Georges
Corcia, Gerard Louis-Dreyfus, Daniel Estrade, Bernard Gobet, Gottfried
Salzmann, Bernadette Tonnellier, Guy Veyssier and Mamina Yunoki.
The photographs with no reference to copyright are the author's own.
atercolour
PAINTING
Jean-louis Morelle
NEW HOLLAND
Foreword
7
The world
of colour
Colour classification
elsaac Newton's classification
8
10
10
11
• The last classification: cyan, yellow and
'•
magenta
,.
11
• The object as the precursor of colour 12
• Arranging colours
24
• Darkening colours
25
• The choice of triangle
26
produced colours
26
• Renoir's and Monet's palett es
27
• Forming a palett e
28
• Complementary colours
28
e Strong shadows
29
• Three sample palettes
30
• Trichromatic greys
31
• How to define a colour
32
• Application to painting
12
• Using the colour triangle effective ly 34
• The base colours
13
• The 31-colour triangle, or ed ucating the
• An explanation of the terminology
14
• The ideal and reality
14
• Trichromatic print ing of the
,,
24
• Theoret ical colours and commercially
• Classificati on using three colours: blue,
green and red
The colour triangle
18th century
Shadows
• The colour of shadows
• Painting outdoors
• When shadows became blue
eAn expanded palette
• Complementary co lou rs
• The discoveries of Chevreul
• What is an optica I mix?
16
18
eye to the three-colour process
35
• The colour table
36
• Bui lding on experience
37
• Conclusion
37
~
./(
.·
Gallery
/
,
.,,"'~
• Gottfried Salzmann,
New York, Towards the North
41
• Preparinwthe p,c{per
41
• The key' mo~ent
44
• The surfaci of th.e paper
45
1.. -
I
• Colour de~sit/
• How to control the halo effect
76
·"'
W~t;bn-wet te~hni1q e ~
~~~~icj'of brysh
J
I
46
• Reproducing the halo effect
48
51
• Strokes and brushes
52
• Painting with pure water
54
77
• Dan iel Estrade, Reliquary for Exchange
Currency, Spirit Mortar
78
• Ewa Karpinska, Quinces on Red Cloth 79
• Gerard Leserre, Morning by the Pond 80
t An nick Berteaux, Cape Coz
81
• Pierre Bergonhe, Saint-Martin Canal 82
• Philippe Mothe, Road Signs
83
• U~l ie Abadie, Red Knot
84
• Jean-Louis Morelie, Nape of a Woman
85
Techniques using dry surfaces 56
• Some recommendations
eln contact with the senses
56
58
• Achieving fluidity
61
• The second brush
62
. studying the subject
• The blurred edge
64
64
• The invisible halo
66
• De pigmented brushwork
66
• Denser brushstrokes
68
68
• Edge darkening
• Style and approach
71
73
• Where to start
74
• How to test your paper
Step by step
• The Green Door, Gerard Leserr.e ~
;;: .~. Boats on a Pond, Gerard
• Peaceful Street, Phili ppe
• Butterfly Nude, Jean-Louis
• Young Girl Sleeping,
Jean-Louis Morelle
• Rosehips, Ewa Karpir\ska
• The Lost Rosebush, Ewa Karpir\ska
• Redcurrants, Ewa Karpir\ska
• Poppies, Ewa Karpinska
86
A
Jean-Louis Morelle, The Unmade Bed
The sensuality of water and cloth fuse ... The
morning light on the whiteness of the sheets is
captured by using the correct shading- not too
pale and not too dark.
6
To my father
T hroughout the years that I have practised watercolour painting, one
thing has become clear: before it becomes paint, watercolour is first and
foremost water. Water fills us with fear and pleasure in equal measures,
thus making us aware of the rich and ambivalent relationship that we
have always had with this element. The child who is afraid of th e power
of a wave may also be filled with wonder at the p atterns drawn on his
bathtub by bath salts - his first contact with pigments and, without
doubt, his first emotion evoked by a painting in water. I have seen these
feelings re-emerge in many amateur painters - nobody is truly free of
them. This gave me the idea to develop a method of teaching based on
in-depth observation of th e phenomena that water creates. Very simple
conclusions are born from such observation. We very quickly notice
that we have no con trol over water and that we cannot force it to do
anything. We must respect it. Firstly it spreads, next it is absorbed an d
then it dries after a period of time.
The main purpose of this book is therefore to en courage you to
develop your own observations of water, and in particular to find a way
of relating to water. You will learn how water behaves, but you will also
become aware of your own interaction with this element. Combining
theory and practice, the aim is to develop a relationship with the medium
through first learning to handle water and then learning how to love it.
j EAN -L OUIS M O REL L E
Colours are mixed first of
all on the palette and then
on the painting. The two
acts are totally separate .
. -·
The objective of this chapter is not to
theorise on the hypothetical laws of
harmony, which are at the mercy of current
trends, but to help you to achieve the
colour tone that you desire on your
palette. Bonnard pinned his canvases to
his bedroom walls for months to achieve a
lasting and penetrating impression, such
was the value that he attached to the
perfection of composition and harmony in
his paintings.
What is available nowadays to study
colour? The modern age has gained control
of the reproduction of colours through
printing, photography and television.
These advances have been generated by
exceptional individuals and the history of
scientific and technical discovery is a mine
of information for each of us.
When dealing with art, intuition is best,
but knowledge of physical phenomena
enables us to work in a more reasoned
fashion. Be tempted to learn about colour.
Find out how to gain control of your
palette. And then, once you have
discovered the advantages of this logical
approach, empty your mind and let
yourself paint.
8
I be wo
mlour
9
Wa
t c r
c o 1 o t:t__r___P_a_Ln ling
olour classification
The watercolour painter works with three elements: water, pigments and
the light reflected by the paper. The way in which light works is of
particular importance when using this method. This is why knowledge of
physical phenomena can have a tremendous influence on your working
methods. You need to be able to distinguish the fundamental colours of the
additive system (light waves) from the primary colours of the subtractive
system (pigments).
In nature, light waves of all kinds
are mixed together at random.lf
we observe the line of the rays
refracted by a prism, we will see
a continuous strip of colou rs. We
pass imperceptibly from dark
blue (short waves) to green
(middle waves), then from green
to red (long waves). There are
also less obvious bands of colour:
light blue between dark blue and
A The seven colours of
Newton, the physicist, were
undoubtedly infl11enc:ed by
music with its seven main
notes. Indigo was later
dropped from the colour
sped ram.
green, and light yellow between
green and red.
A The contin11ous band of
the colour spectr11m. The
eye perceives eledromag·
netic: waves of somewhere
between 380 and 780
nanometres (nm).
These waves are actually
colourless: it is our brain, linked
Isaac Newton's
classification
to our eye, that converts them
into colours. This conversion may
In 1669 the English physicist
Isaac Newton (1642- 1727) sug-
differ from one animal species to
another. The bee, fo r example,
gested breaking down the colour
spectrum into seven colours:
sees ultraviolets that we cannot
violet, indigo, blue, green,
pick out while cats and dogs find
yellow, orange and red. He also
it difficult to see reds.
demonstrated the reversibility of
this phenomenon: by recreating
the full range of all of these
10
The world of co l ou..L_
colourswith the help of a second
prism, he was able to reproduce
white light. Newton thus established the universal theory, which
states that all colours are contained in white light. This is
known as 'additive' synthesis.
Black, on the other hand, does
not physically exist. It is simply
t he absence of all emitted or
reflected radiance.
Classification using
three colours: blue,
green and red
I
I
I
~ The blue (436 nm) , green
(546 nm) and red (700 nm)
filters. Together they come
close to recreating the
entire spectrum.
--4 To decipher light waves,
the retina goes through a
series of complex processes.
The rods in the periphery of
the human-retina are
sensitive to moderate
radiance. There are three
types of cones, and each of
these contains a visual
pigment, which is sensitive
to blue, green and red.
A century later, the British biologist and doctor Thomas Young
(1773- 1829) hypothesized that
the cells of the retina are
sensitive to t hree fundament al
colours: blue, green and red. In
1852 the German doct or and
Von
completely. The filters used in
red, named 'magenta', can only
Helmholtz (1821-1894) reiter-
photographic equipment and
be seen by using two prisms. If
ated the classification and
hypothesis put forward by
Young, which was later to be
scanners allow the light waves
of one third of the spectrum to
pass through but block the other
these two prisms, placed very
close to one another, and make
confirmed by modern biology.
Three years later in 1855, the
two thirds.
What happens, however, in
the red bands of one coincide
with the blue bands of the
Scottish physicist James Clark
Maxwell (1831-1879) demon-
t he gaps between these three
other, partially superimposing
physiologist
Hermann
fundamental colours?
strated that all shades of colours
that exist in nature can be
obtained through additive
synthesis from blue, green and
we combine the refraction of
the bands on to one another,
magenta red will appear.
The last
classification: cyan,
yellow and magenta
The existence of these three
primary colours can be proved by .
a simple experiment. Three
red mixed in variable proportions
If we carefully observe the colour
projectors of neutral lig ht and
of coloured lights. Modern
technologies that requ ire the use
spect rum as it passes from blue
to green, we can make out a thin
red are needed. If we place a
of filters often draw on this
classification. They are based
band of pure, light blue between
the two areas. Th is blue, later
on the fact that blue, green and
described as 'cyan', is not easy to
red each occupy approximately
discern. The same applies to the
one third of the spectrum and
yellow, known as 'primary'. This
that when used together they
is an equally thin band between
recreate the spectrum almost
the green and the red. Primary
three fi lters for blue, green and
filter of each colour in front of
each of the projectors, t he beams
combined will reconstitute
white light. The intensity of each
of the Iig ht sources does,
however, need to be measured
accurately as the precise quantity
11
_ __
_
\VatercoloJJr
Pain..t..i_n_g
+
fundamental blue
green
cyan
+
green
fundamental red
yellow
+
of blue, green and red rays on
waves (blue), a small amount of
the screen varies.
the long waves (red) and very
What happens if we mix these
few oft he middle waves (green).
light rays in pairs? Our eye
This is why subtractive synthesis
synthesizes the mixture of waves
is known as the phenomenon
from the blue and green filters,
that is key to the creation of the
producing a clear cyan- blue. In a
colours in the world that sur-
similar way, additive synthesis of
rounds us. It clearly has an enor-
green and red results in primary
mous influence on the mixtures
yellow. Lastly, when the red filter
that the painter makes on his
is combined with the blue filter
palette.
magenta red appears in t he form
of fuchsia pink.
fundamental red
fundamental blue
magenta
Additive synthesis of the three fundamental colours, two
at a time. The mixture of the blue and the green is
perceived as primary blue-cyan, that of the green and the
red is perce ived as primary yellow, and that of the red and
the blue as primary red magenta. Our eye converts the
mixture of the two waves into a single colour.
.A
A
Initially these results appear
Application to
painting
absurd. How can we actually
If we mix two pigments we are
imagine that a mixture of blue
actually combining two phe-
and green could lead to pure
nomena as this process reduces
blue, when every child in the first
the intensity of radiance and syn-
year of primary school finds out
thesizes two subtract ions. These
that this combination results in a
phenomena have a major impact
dark grey-green? In actual fact.
on the work of the watercolour
depending on whether we are
painter, as the more the colours
working within the wor ld of
are mixed, the higher t he inci-
waves or the material world of
dence of absorption and the
pigments, the results will differ
more luminosity decreases. Take
considerably.
care to examine the manufacturer's chart for prepared colours
The object as the
precursor of colour
it. Diagram of the reflection and absorption of white light
on a molecule of red pigment. The three wavelengths of
fundamental blue, green and fundamental red are absorbed
and reflected in varying degrees by the pigment molecules.
But the pigment appears red because the reflection of long
waves (which are red) is predominant . It is s ubtractive
synthesis of waves A+B+C, which are reflected in varying
proportions, that determines the diverse colouring of
objects.
as some shades have been made
Colour is dependent on the way
with several pigments. It is thus
in which the molecules of a body
possible, without knowing, to
react with light. A body always
synthesize a number of different
diffuses fewer luminous rays
subtractions in our mixes and to
than it collects: matter actually
lose a great deal of luminosity.
absorbs a proportion of these
As a result, it is not only impor-
rays and reflects the rest. If a sub-
tant to take care with the opac-
stance reflects all of the rays in
ity or transparency of the colours
the spectrum its surface appears
that you are using, but also with
white; if it absorbs nearly all of
their composition. Do not be
them
afraid to ask your retailer for
it seems black. The
molecules of a red pigment
leaflets on each brand with the
reflect red waves and absorb
composition of each colour.
blue and green waves. The
molecules of an ultramarine blue
pigment reflect most of theshort
12
which can be found in art shops,
I b e w o r 1 d o Lc_a_L..,_...__..___ _ __
The base colours
ana lyzed in the colorimeter, it
The pigments you use should
can be observed that it mainly
reflects blue and green waves.
give you complete freedom to
recreate all of the shades that
you observe or imagine. Before
The primary yellow pigment
reflects a large proportion of the
beginning
green and red waves, whilst the
work, you
wil l
probably be unaware of the
number of tones, that will
appear in your painting and as a
result will need to be able to
create all possible mixes.
• Reflection of waves emitted by primary blue-cyan. A peak
in the reflected waves can dearly be detected in
fundamental blue with considerable reflection of green but
high absorption of fundamental red.
magenta-red
pigment
will
reflect some of the red waves
and a small amount of the blue
waves.
Why,
for
example,
do
The more complex the compound of a particular colour
cyan-blue and primary yellow
tone, the more it will absorb light
intensity, and the small er the
t he reflective propert ies of these
result in green? We've looked at
two pigments, and now let 's
examine their absorption.
area of the spectrum that wi II be
reflected. On the other hand, the
greater the ability of these base
pigments to reflect a wide area
of the spectrum, the more the
painter is able to accurately mea-
Cyan-blue paint absorbs waves
A Reflection of waves emitted by the primary yellow image.
It is a light colour as there is a high level of reflection in
fundamental red and green, but much absorption of
fundamental blue.
retain
yellow, which absorbs the shortest waves (blue), is mixed with
this blue, only the middle waves
sure out the different subtractions. To
of the greatest length (red). If a
(green) will be reflected. If we
add a red pigment to this green,
complete
freedom of action, the artist
it will absorb the green. This will
must therefore set up his palette
with pigments that are:
demonstrate a synthesis of three
- chemically pure (they have
not been created through
will thus approximate to black'.
mixing);
- light and luminous;
- highly reflective in all three
areas of the colour spectrum.
subtractions and the end result
• Reflection of waves emitted by the primary red magenta
image. This pigment reflects fundamental red, a proportion
of fundamental blue that cannot be discounted and absorbs
the green.
Other pigments will only be
used in a supplementary capacity (see Renoir's suggestions on
his own palette, page 27).
With subtractive synthesis,
only the colours close to
cyan-blue, primary yellow and
magenta-red possess these
qualities and enable all shades to
be recreated . This is why these
three primary colours are used in
printing. In fact, when the pigment closest to cyan-blue is
A For what reasons does the mixture of cyan-blue and
primary yellow pigment result in green? If we amalgamate
two of the previous curves, it can be observed that the
absorptions of cyan-blue and yellow cancel out the red and
blue at each end of the spectrum.
The •ore we mix pigments, the smaller the quantity of light
that is reflec:ted.
1. Refer to Moritz Zwimpfer, Couleur
optique et perception, Paris, Dessain et
Tol ra. 1992
13
_
\Va I e r co 1 o u r P a l n 1 j n
g
An explanation of the
terminology
(light waves) and subtractive
synthesis (pigments). In my
references to two f undamental
of t he journey of an artistic
To adapt to the world around us,
writing I make use of the
colou rs (blue and red) may be
creation ...
the brain, conn ected to the eye,
qualifier 'fundamental' when
followed in brackets by the way
This is how we explain t he
converts the combinations of the
referring to light waves (in
in which they would be com-
difference between t he world of
diversely refl ect ed rays into
other works they are called
posed in the subtractive system
waves, with its three fundamen-
colours. We can attempt to
'primitive') and 'primary' when
(violet-blue and orange-red). In
tal colours that are mixed t o
explain colour mixing log ically
referring to pigments.
accordance wit h the latter
create white light, and the
This is why, throughout the book,
This alchemy marks the start
(as we will do at the end of the
The task of the painter, who
system, primary red-magenta
material world with its three
chapter through the colour
can be likened to an alchemist
should actually be mixed with a
primary colo urs t hat result in
triangle), and the logic used will
capable of any mix, becomes
little primary yellow to gain an
black through subtraction of the
different waves.
be subordinate to the workings
increasingly complicated. If you
approximation of fu ndamental
of t he subtractive system. This
wish to use a colour tone t hat
red . Fortunately green doesn't
wi ll even have an impact on our
approximates to 'fundamental '
cause any confusion.
use of terminology.
blue, you may f ind a corre-
t he understandi ng of colours
stem
We actually call the first of the
sponding blue pigment, or create
The ideal and reality
fundamental colou rs of the
it by mixing. If you add a small
No pigment could be defined as
spect rum 'blue'. However, we
amount of primary 'magenta '
a 'pure' colour. If this were the
also call the 'cyan' blue that our
red to primary 'cyan' blue, you
case, painters could compose
eyes perce ive from the mixture
will end up wit h a colour ton e
their pictures out of beams of
of blue and green coloured lights
that isclose to fundamental blue.
light - a fine poetic image ... The
'blue'. These two kinds of blue
Is fundamental blue a violet-
artist can, however, attempt to
are not of the same nature.
blue? From a strictly physical
find pigments that approximate
Similarly, 'magenta' red isnot the
point of view the answer is no.
to the three primary colours as
red of the spectrum . Only
That would amount to saying
seen by the naked eye. By mixing
primary yellow is uncomplicated
that this funda mental blue is a
them, you combine the most
as it can easily be distinguished
mixture of two waves, which is
varied subtractions: blue with a
from green.
not the case. But from the
hint of red becomes violet, and
practical perspective of mixing
this violet can be broken by a
Many works, when touching
Many arguments rel ating to
from
t he
confusion
between these t wo different
systems.
on colour synthesis, do not spec-
colours
the
minute touch of yellow. When
ify the red or blue to which they
subt ractive syst em, our eye and
yellow is added to red it becomes
are referring. It is, however,
brain convert this fundamenta l
orange-red and this orange- red
Garden in Lower Montreuil. A
essential to highlight the differ-
blue into a slightly violet colour
can in turn be mixed with blue,
dust haze of impressionist dots.
ence between addit ive synthesis
compared to primary cyan-blue.
which wi ll result in brown, etc.
14
according
to
I> Jean-Louis Morelle,
15
\Ya
1
c rc
0
10
II
r p aiJ.l. t.iJl g
.,_ Jacob Christoph Le Blon,
The Cardinal of Fleury, 1738. Colour print
engraved on three plates, based on a
painting by Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659- 1743).
Le Blon invented modern three-colour
printing at the beginning of the 18th
century, achieving very fine results in spite
of imperfect primary colours.
Trichromatic printing
of the 18th century
physical matter. His research
he could use a black plat e to
began in 1706, two years after
supplement his work.
In 1996 the National Library of
the publication of Optic by
France organized an exhibition
Newton. Le Blon very quickly dis-
Jacques-Fabien Gautier-Dagoty,
called 'The Anatomy of Colour' '
covered that the phenomenon of
took this step. As the head of a
in Paris. On display were copper-
colour absorption could in fact
fami ly business he scrupulously
plate engravings from the
be an asset in certain situations.
exploited the invention of his
beginning of the 18th century, in
He wrote: 'All visible objects can
master and dominated the
particular anatomical plates
be depicted through painting
history of 18th century engrav-
printed in the three base colours.
with three colours, namely
ing in three colours, leaving us
These colours were different
yellow, red and blue, as all other
magnificent anatomical plates.
from those used in contemporary
colours can be made up of these
Good fortune had smiled
printing, but did resemble them:
three, which I call primitive
on Le Blon's invention but
the blue could be compared to
colours ... And a mixture of these
numerous economic factors
Prussian blue, the red was simi-
three primitive colours produces
caused it to be neglected for the
lar to a slightly fiery crimson and
black and all other colours ...
following hundred years. Print-
the yellow was not very different
Here I am only speaking of mate-
ing in three colours, and later in
from yellow ochre. However, a
rial colours, that is the colours
four colours, required a high
most important step had been
used by painters, as the mixture
level of skill in a number of areas.
taken. Prints of three plates
of all of the impalpable primitive
Perhaps the technique made its
superimposed with three low-
colours does not resu lt in black,
appearance too soon, but Le
density colours enabled the artist
but exactly the opposite, that is
Blon is worthy of our admiration
to recreate the shades of nature
to say white'. (The Harmony of
as we are now building on the
almost perfectly. What transpired
Colouring in Painting, London,
foundations that he put in place.
from this work resembled the
1725.)
wealth of tones present in oil
painting.
The refinement of Le Blon's
engravings was a contributory
A German researcher, Jacob
factor in the success of his argu-
Christoph Le Blon (1667- 1741 ),
ment. However, to obtain deeper
was
_ __ __1..u6_
One of Le Blon's pupils,
these
shading he had to apply very
magnif icent engravings. Both a
responsible
f or
dense layers of ink to the three
scientist and a painter, he was
plat es, which was very time-
experienced in the use of
consuming and made the drying
pigments and working wit h
process difficult. He sensed t hat
1. Florian Rodari (dir.), The Anatomy of
Colour: The invention of colour
engraving, Paris, Lausanne, National
Library of France, Olympic Museum of
Lausanne. 1996.
\\ial(·rcolo u r Pa i nting
hadows
If you were to go into space as an astronaut, the sky would be of the deepest darkness imaginable. Far beyond Earth, in a place where no stars shine,
black becomes absolute. Our earthly atmosphere, filled with gas and steam
molecules, hides the relentless black of the sidereal void. These very diverse
molecules reflect light waves and diffuse them in all directions. Short waves,
converted into blue, are much more spread out and are refracted more
sharply than long waves, which are converted into red.
The colour of
shadows
to give a shadow a trace of the
As mentioned at the beginning
three colours, in unequal pro-
A hint of white light isenough
of this chapter, in physics black is
portions, according to the reflec-
not a colour but rather the
tive properties or absorbency of
absence of light. This is of major
the element s involved. Shade
consequence to the artist, as
therefore has its own colour and
colour is altered according to a
the ability to find it will be the
decrease in white light.
most important test that the
artist undergoes. A further
consideration is that no shadow
is devoid of reflection. Good
painters can thus be set apart
from t he mediocre by their
ability to determine the colour
of a reflection in relation to the
-4 Alexandre·lsodore Leroy de
colour of a shade, which is itself
Barde (1777-1828),
also dependant on the local tone
Still life with exotic birds
of the object and its environ-
Watercolour and gouache.
ment. As a result, no colour can
In this period, the colour of
be studied in isolation. Whether
shadows was based on the
it is plunged into darkness or not,
concept of light and dark and
it can only exist in relation to the
was achieved by darkening the
other colours that surround it.
local colour of the object.
_ _ _ ___._.18_
T he wor l d of c o l o11r
Painting outdoors
the subtractive system). It is for
The disappearance of black, dull
this reason that the
and tar-like shadows from aca-
disappear first at nightfall. Blues
demic painting was one of the
remain visible for a longer time.
reds
artistic gambles of the 19th cen-
Do not conclude from this that
tury. The battle was begun by
all shadows are blue. The local
Eugene Delacroix (1798- 1863)
colour of the object, as well as all
and then waged by t he painters
that
it
reflects
f rom
its
of the Barbizon school, soon to
surroundings, and the harmoni-
be joined by the Impressionists.
sation that needs to take place
They went out to fight armed
with the tonal range of the
with a new weapon, which seems
picture have much influence on
very familiar to us today: the
t he composition of the shade.
tube of paint. It was practical,
easy to transport and did not
An expanded palette
need any preparation. This
Everything had a code in aca-
invention enabled artists to leave
demic art. The subject matter
their studios at long last and
needed to be smooth, flesh was
to paint directly from nature,
pearly, shadows were brown,
which meant that they then had
and the last relics of classical
to face up to reality. Shadows
myths were thought to promote
that had looked colourless
elevation of souls. Blue was only
beneath t he heavy curtains of
used as the local colour of an
the studio now had their own
object. The Impressionists were
specific colours and reflections,
actually the f irst to display the
which had to be worked into
whole of the primary colour
triang le on canvas. Within
shading in the painting .
established art the major issues
When shadows
became blue
duality of light and dark, which
Cezanne, played with t he effect
A
In a way, blue entered the history
completely ignored the relation-
of depth, created
Portrait of Vallier, circa 1906.
of painting via the shadow. The
ship between complementaries.
juxtaposition of two colour
(Watercolour and graphite.}
Houses of Parliament, London
This re lationship can only be
tones. Modern art had realized
Cezanne used blue as the
(1905), painted by Claude Monet
grasped by resolving a series of
once and for all that t he space
complement of orange-red. The
(1840-1926), or the fragmented
problems, as a colour can only be
within the picture went beyond
local colour of the object was
use of orange and blue in the
matched with its complementary
the illusion created by its unique
no longer predominant.
vistas of Mont Saint-Victoire
by mixing the other two. The use
geometric perspective.
(1904-1906) by Paul Cezanne
of the complementary was to be,
(1839-1906) are proof of this.
with or without Chevreul, a
in painting revolved around the
Genera lly speaking, short
waves
(fundamental
favou rite t heme in all painting
blue;
throughout the second half of
violet- blue in the subtractive
the 19th centu ry. Artists also
system) are much more widely
tried out bolder contrastive use
diffused
of warm and cold colours, and,
than
long
waves
(fundamental red; orange- red in
by th e
Paul Cezanne,
following
the
example
of
19
Waterco J our Pa i nting
~
Complementary colours in
additive system.
Fundamental green (F(;I
mixed w ith fundamental red
(FRI results in primary
yellow (PVI . Mixing this
yellow with fundamental
blue (FBI will result in
white light (WI. Primary
yellow and fundamental
blue are complementary to
one another.
Complementary
colours
Using the addit ive system (that is
light waves), if we were to
remove fundamental blue from
t he spectrum, itscomplementary
would appear, t he synthesis of
the mixt ure ofthe red and green
bands. We have seen t hat t his
synthesis
produces
primary
yellow (see page 12). This then
becomes the complementary of
fundamental blue and vice versa.
If we were to remove green
from the spectrum (similar to
the mid-green in the subtractive
II> Fundamental red (FRI
mixed with fundamental
blue (FBI will result in
magenta red (MI which,
when mixed with
fundamental green (F<;I, will
result in wh ite light (WI.
Magenta-red and
fundamental green ;ue
complementary to one
another.
system), the complementary
would be magenta- red, which
was itself obtained by additive
synthesis of fundamental blue
(violet-blue in the su btractive
system) and f undamental red
(orange-red in the subtractive
system). The same applies for t he
red area (orange-red in the
subt ractive system), the complementary for which is cyan- blue,
which is itself t he result of
additive synthesis of the fundamental blue and green bands.
In t he additive system, if
we mix the t hree fundamental
II> Fundamental blue (FBI
mixed with fundamental
green (F(;I will result in
cyan-blue (C) which, when
mixed with fundamental red
(FRI. will resu lt in wh ite
light (WI. Cyan-blue and
f undamental red are
complementary to one
another.
colours two at a time we will
produce the primaries cyan-blue,
ye llow and magenta-red. In the
subtractive system the opposite
occurs to create mid- green,
orange- red and violet-blue,
colours which are then termed as
seconda ry. This does not change
anything: t here is always one
colour, which is complementary,
resulting from the mixture ofthe
other two, and vice versa.
20
The discoveries of
Chevreul
One man was more capable than
any other of examining two or
more colours together: Eugene
Chevreu l (1786- 1889). A chemist
by train ing, he was appointed
director of the Gobel ins Tapestry
Works in 1826. Responsible for
listing wool dyes, he discovered
• Complementary colours in
the subtractive system.
Cyan-blue (C) mixed wltll
primary yellow (PV),
results in mid· green (M
which, when mixed with
magenta-red (M) results
in a dark colour close to
black (B). Mid-green and
magenta-red are
complementary to one
another.
that our perception of a stable
colour t one could vary as a result
of the colours that are next to it.
If we face an orange-red section
of colour, our retina will form a
narrow halo in light blue (its
complementary colour'), around
the outer edges. Chevreul
observed two types of contrast
contrast of colour (wh ich relates
to a slight change in shade) and
contrast of
created
brightness.
t heories
on
He
t hese
phenomena in his 'Law of
<4 Primary yellow {PV) mixed
with magenta-red (M)
results in orange- red (OR)
which , when mixed with
cyan-blue, results in a dark
colour. Cyan- blue and
orange-red a re
complemantary to one
another.
Simultaneous Contrast'. Charles
Blanc, director of LesBeaux-Arts,
then integrated his interpretation of Chevreul's ideas into a
work entitled The Grammar of
Painting and Engraving (1867).
Most of the painters at t he end
of the 19th century kn ew t his
work and were greatly influenced by its teachings.
• Cyan-blue (C) mixed with
magenta-red (M) results in
violet-blue (VB) which, when
mixed with primary yellow
results in a dark colour.
Violet-blue and primary
yellow are complementary to
one another.
1 . If you wish to become i mmersed in
coloured atmospheres, do not focus
your vision on to the objects themselves.
Mai ntain vision or the whole entity and
do not hurry. You must leave t he retina
time to feed on the stimuli that it is
receiving. After a few seconds the
cont rasts of brightness (light/dark) <1nd
of colour will become more
pronounced.
21
_ _ __
____cW._._'_.._a_._
l uco l on r
Painting
To quote Chevreul: 'If we observe
It is thus within the painter's
with but not overlaying a large
two sections of the same colour,
interest to grasp the importance
number of small blue dots will
one darker than the other, or
of the complementaries, both as
give the impression of green. The
two differently coloured but
a means of darkening colour
neo-impressionists at t he end of
equally dark sections in juxtapo ~
tones without using black and as
the 19th century made use of
sition ... the eye will perceive ...
a way of livening up colours
both simultaneous contrast and
modifications, which will relate,
through juxtaposition. Thus, if a
optical mixing. Georges Seu rat
in the first case, to colour inten-
red is placed alongside an umber,
(1859- 1891), who was inspired
what type of green would the
by the work of Chevre ul and
sity, and in the second to the
optical composition of the juxta-
latter contain? Would it be a
Charles Blanc, was the t heorist
posed colours. As these modifi-
yellow- green or blue-green'
behind pointillism or division ism.
cations make the sections that
How much green would be pre-
The juxtaposition of small spots
are observed at the same time
sent? Have you really perceived
of colour enabled him to achieve
appear more different from each
the true nature of the red that is
the colours he desired without
other than they are in rea lity, I
being observed? Distance your-
breaking
will give them the name of simul-
self from simplistic solutions and
through mixing.
taneous contrast of colour"-
with the help of Chevreul and his
The mysteries behi nd the
followers learn to see what sur-
colours used in painting were
rounds you more clearly2.
thus only studied in depth at
General ly speaking the only
one of Chevreul's t heories to
have been remembered by history is that on simultaneous con-
the
colou r t ones
the end of the 19th cent ury, that
What is an optical
is to say very rece ntly. It is a
trast. Nevertheless, he also
mix?
combination ofthe discoveries in
developed theories on value con-
Whilst the retina heightens the
physiology and those in physics,
trast and on harmony through
intensity of larg e sections of
which has enabled us to deepen
proximity of colour. His work is
colour in juxtaposition, this is not
our understanding.
just as relevant today as it ever
at all t he case with very small
was, particu larly to t hose who
areas. In fact the retina functions
experience difficulties in harmo-
in a way that is the complete
nizing their colours. What lessons
opposite of the preceding phe-
can the watercolour painter
nomenon, as it blurs the vision
learn from Chevreul's theories?
and no longer differentiates mes-
Once watercolours have dried
sages. It creates an optical mix.
their tones become dull (and this
This is why a large number of
is to say nothing ofthe shadows!}
small yel low dots intermingled
22
1. Jean-Louis Ferrier, Sophie Monneret
(dir.), L'Aventure de /'art au X/Xe siec/e,
Paris, Editions du Chene, 1991, p. 341 .
2. Georges Roque, Art et science de Ia
couleur, Paris, Editions Cath erine
Cham bon, 1997.
,. Focus on t he left
chromatic circle opposit e
for a few seconds in
daylight. Then t ransfer
your gaze to t he white
centre of the sheet, giving
t he ret ina time to adjust,
and little by little, a
yell ow, pink and bluish
brightness will appear. It is
your brain t hat produces
the complementaries of
the colours violet- blue,
yellow-green and
orange-red t hat were
initially percei ved. Repeat
t he experiment with t he
right chromatic circle in
cyan-blue, yellow and
magenta. Once your gaze
has shifted, an orange
brightness (complementary of cyan), t hen
mauve (complementary of
ye llow} and lastly green
(complementary of
magenta} will appear. This
is what biologists call an
after-image or post-image.
Two complementary
colours look more vivid
when juxtaposed with one
anot her than when placed
aga inst a neutral
background. Once again,
it is our bra in t hat is
responsible fo r t his
phenomenon, as it
accentuates the
differences and thus
enables us to gain a
sharper perception of the
elements that form our
environment.
The world o[ colour
A Su"essive contrast effect.
Study these di scs for 10
seconds before focusing on
the white part of the paper.
A When placed on a white bukground the
magenta square appears darker than when
placed on a green background .
._ The crimson background is darker than
the green background. The Yellow Ochre
thus appears lighter on red than on green
(contrast of brightness). On the other hand,
it appears more vivid (simultaneous
contrast of colour) with the green.
23
he colour triangle
.- Each of the 31
numbers on the
triangle corresponds
t o a colour
Arranging colours
Each side of the t riangl e will
Many geometric figu res have
become the area where mixt ures
been used to chart the ma in
of t he two primaries at t he ver-
colours,
including triangles,
t ices will take place. The middle
hexag ons, circles and spheres.
of t hese sides wil l represent t he
The objective of this chapter ist o
point of equilibrium f or any mix
use a unique triangular palette,
of two primary colours. It is also
to help you to instinctively
the posit ion of the complemen-
develop your knowledge of
tary of the colour situated at the
mixtures.
other end of each median .
In the making of t his book,
Let us t ake the blue (1) -
which was manufactured using
yellow (2) side as an example.
I> The 31 colour
modern
engraving
Eq ual quantit ies of blue and
triangle: a visual
calibration and
reference tool.
processes, we consu lted the
yel low are placed at th e mid-
subtractive primaries set out by
point of th is side, achieving an
the colour chart in t he printing
evenly balanced mid-green (4).
workshop. This will fo rm the
complementary of magenta red
basis of our discussion. Arrang-
(3). Between thisevenly balanced
ing the colours in the fo rm of a
circle of colour and t he primary
t riang le seemed to be t he sim-
colour we have three quarters of
plest option, as this actually
t his same primary and one
.. Tr iangle with 12
colours : 3 primaries
(1 , 2 and 3), 3
secondaries and
compleme ntaries (4, 5
and 6) and 6 tertiary
compounds (7, 8, 9 ,
10, 11 and 12)
photo
enables us to create a clear visual
quarter of t he pri mary at the
hierarchy between t he t hree
ot her end of t he side (7 and 8).
primaries and t heir complemen-
A the oretical black circle is
taries. It also compels the painter
placed at the centre of th is
to keep one limited base
triangle (3 1), wh ich equat es t o
palette, which is easy to use.
overlaying the three primary
Tonal richness can thus only arise
colours. This process is a real ly
f rom mixing.
effective t oo I that can be used to
The t hree subtractive primaries are placed at each
vertex of the triang le: cyan- blue
(1). prima ry ye ll ow (2) and
magenta-red (3).
24
darken colours.
~o1·ld
Darkening colours
black, but by adding the com-
The blue median shows how blue
plementary of the colour in ques-
is darkened, moving from the
tion to the mix (see section on
lightest (at the vertex of the tri-
strong shadows, page 29).
angle) to the darkest (next to the
-The blue will be darkened by
centre). The same procedure is
yellow and red (13, 14 and 15),
followed for yellow and red. Th is
thus by an orange- red;
- The yellow will be darkened
has not been achieved by adding
t> The medians show the
darkening of colour. The
point at wh ich they
intersect is the c irc:le
of theoreti c al black .
Posit ions 13, 16
and 19 are meant
to be lighter
than positions
1, 2 and 3 .
of co l o u r
.A. Darkening a cyan · blue by using
its complementary orange-red .
A. Darkening a yellow by using
its complementary viol e t .
A Darkening magenta red with a
complementary mid-green .
~
Positions of
shaded discs off the
median.
by blue and red (16, 17 and 18),
thus by a violet;
I
~- ) '--
y~
/:X
, 4
25
!
(5~-~
I
;;) ~I
cfo;;
-The red will be darkened by
It comprises th irty-one colou rs.
yellow and blue (19, 20 and 21),
The proportions of t he th ree
thus by a green.
27
The end result will be the full
printed triang le on page 24.
The next step is to add within
the triangle:
- A shaded circle on t he
primaries
t hat
make
up
the colours can been fo und on
page 34. All t hree colours are displayed in order to provide you
median for each complementa ry
with an immediate and clear
colour: green (22), orange- red
visual aid of the process f or
(23) and violet (24);
developing mixes.
- A shaded circle away f rom
t he median for intermed iate
compound colours in posit ions
25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30.
25