Watercolour painting jean louis morelle

aterco our
PAINTING
....\.

Jean-Louis Morelle


First published in the UK in 2003 by
New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd
London • Cape Town • Sydney • Auckland
Garfield House
86-88 Edgware Road
London W2 2EA
United Kingdom
wv.lw. newhollandpublishers.com
80 McKenzie Street
Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Levell, Cnit 4, 14 Aquatic Drive
Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086, Australia
218 Lake Road
NorthcOLe, Auckland, New Zealand
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,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.
ISBN 1 84330 52 1 6
Publishing Manager: Ch ristophe Savoure
Artistic Manager: Danielle Capellazzi

Graphic design and layout: Claude Poirier
Ediwr: Guillaume Po
Producer: Florence Bellot
Computer graphics: Laurem Blonde!
English translation: Bernie Wright
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed and bound in Malaysia by Times Offset (M) Sdn Bhd
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 (Mwhich, 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