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YELLOW, AND BLUE Pitweiis- PRIMARY COLORS.-AND “IO Steve) Hie he EE DED EASY METHOD OF DETERMINING COLOR HARMONY TOGETHER WITH A SYSTEM OF COLOR NOMENCLATURE AND OTHER PRACTICAL INFORMATION FOR ARTISTS AND WORKERS OR DESIGNERS IN COLORS | ASE J. ARTHUR H. HATT THIRD EDITION NEW YORK D. VAN NOSTRAND COMPANY . EIGHT WARREN STREET 1925 : '~.* A fina wi y ~~ S Bs. «Sten \ a P F : . r _ _ COPYRIGHT, 1908, BY J. ARTHUR H. HATT i) > CopyRIGHT, 1913, BY J. ARTHUR H. HATT ¥ / —— a All rights reserved “' ~4 TO Mr. FJobn HD. Morgan THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED BY THE AUTHOR PREFACE TO THE First EDITION MAL there are very itew practical works, on color would: seem to be a sufficient reason for the publication of a new one. When we add to this that the few now in existence contain compara- tively little information based on the scientific principles of light, and color as a function of light, and contain consequently many misleading and contradictory state- ments, the publication of a work on color, which is based on the scientific principles of light and color, and pre- sents a consistent theory of color based thereon, becomes a necessity. About Pte y years ago, a French gentleman, M. E. Chevreul, a manufacturer of dyestuffs, made an exten- sive series of experiments with colors. He undoubtedly made a great contribution to the knowledge of colors, but not being as well grounded in the science of color as we are at the present time, he naturally made a large number of mistakes. These mistakes have been the heritage of the art world in all color literature since his time. Bye have no desire to detract from the deserved Vil Vill Preface renown of M. Chevreul, who is entitled to praise for a great amount of laborious and original work. We do wish, however, to emphasize the present need of a scien- tifically correct theory of color upon which a more exact and at the same time a more artistic practice may be based. There are, it is true, some excellent scientific works on light and color. Unfortunately, however, the scien- tist is rarely a great authority on art, and rarely touches on those problems in color which the practical worker wishes to solve. | The object of this little book is to give precise data, whereby a color scheme may be analyzed, and beauty in color appreciated and produced. The book contains for the first time in color literature, either scientific or artistic, a complete unity between science and practice, as well as a concise and consistent law for color harmony and beauty in color, which the author confidently believes will stand the test of time and the fullest investigation. Although this book is based on scientific principles, it is practical, as simple as possible, and may be under- stood by all classes of readers. The author does not believe with many writers on the subject that it requires a genius to be a colorist. On the contrary he believes that it requires only a thor- ough knowledge of color. A superior aptitude for color will of course always produce a superior colorist, because the latitude for choice of color in good color composition Preface 1X XY is so very large that the colorist with the best taste or talent will naturally do better than one not so well endowed. However, with a thorough knowledge of color no one need be a bad colorist. While this work is intended and adapted for the general reader, with the belief that a more thorough knowl- edge of color on the part of the public would have a great stimulating effect on good art, it is intended espe- cially for artists, art students, architects, color printers, decorators, and costume designers. HOARTHURGEL. LAT. BrookKLyn, N. Y., November 21, 1908. “~ teamee = : : PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION the cordial recognition of the first edition of ‘The Colorist.’ Many written and oral expressions of pleasure and f | ‘HE Author desires to express his gratification at congratulation have been received from readers of the book, all attesting to the helpfulness of the color charts, and the rational ideas of color harmony and beauty which the volume outlines. The text of the present edition has been improved by the addition of a list of permanent colors, and methods fometeteeuse, to the chapter on “A- Pull Palette” (Chapter IX.) The color plates, also have been enriched by the addition of two small examples of color combinations, one being an actual example of the ‘“Subtractive Method,” and the other a near representation of the “ Additive Method”. [eA a Eee Ee New York June 2nd, 1913 CONTENTS CHAPTER, I. PAGE PeereerokgUURCE OF COLOR? “CHE SPECTRUM... 06%. 000 cence ee Gaus I GHAPDER CLL: Pmt eA OF PRIMARY COLORS, 0. ey cin cus eee caw es ae eb eens 9 CHAPLERAILT, remem PRIMARY “COLORS... oo. ccs sic we po boc hn shwialu bogs ele ols es 12 CHAPTER STV: Tue Appitive MeTHop oF ComBINING Cotors By Rays oF LIGHT........ 19 CHAPTER? V, THE SUBTRACTIVE METHOD OF COMBINING COLORS WITH PIGMENTS...... 22 CHAPTER VI. THE JuxtTaposit METHOD WITH BOTH LIGHT AND PIGMENTS............ 20 CHAPTER, Vil: Oe oo 01 eS cosa) vag Lips ees do oth: Spsaim Olas a nn oie eo eis mie ee a 35 CHAPTER VIII Ammon AVERSUS CONTRAST).OF COLOR... 0 a. Ole sale cae ens cep ¥hewe eek 47 SMC A EA PD TP ie ot ohne ale ace niet she alata eke tadel octe Gils bate ate tele Lae ee 53 X11 Contents CHAPTER A, PAGE THE PRopER Way TO BLEND O11 CoOLors FOR CLEAN LUMINOUS EFrrEectTs, — 62 CHAPTER Rio: COMPLEMENTARY COLORS IN SHADOWS. .. 2.0. ecce ener ccee ess steaaas 64 CHAPTER XII. > SyuRPACE TEXTURE IN: PAINTING. ..¢-<...0 +2050 55%» oly «00s ee 67 CHAPTER XIII, THE PROPER COLORS FOR AERIAL PERSPECTIVE, ....ceeseecerceccreses a CHAPTER XIV. ART OR TRUTH IN PAINTING... Dot Se en es Se 74 CHAPTER XV. A STANDARD COLoR CODE, AND NOMENCLATURE, .......e+seccccecoces 76 “CHAPTERY SVL ADDENDUM Sr DIRECTIONS FOR DETERMINING A COLOR HARMONY Veena Hie ATD OF COLOR. CHART (NO. 1) Chart is composed of the plus colors and the minus colors alternating, and separated by a blend of the nearest two colors in each case. ia WILL be observed that the main circle of the Color These colors merge from the saturated or full strength color at the outer edge of the circle to white at the center The three outer rings are produced by printing the three minus colors over each other in various strengths or degrees of saturation. By fitting the mask * to the chart, which is done by cen- tering it on the chart, and turning it until the desired colors show, we have perhaps the widest range of colors exposed which can be said to properly harmonize. | Artists may safely use all the colors exposed in this manner in a picture, with full confidence in securing a harmonious result. For those who desire a more limited range of colors for any purpose, it will only be necessary to further mask _* The mask will be found printed on one of the blank pages at the back of ‘the book, and is to be cut out for use. ms Kl «. X1V Directions out colors not desired by placing strips of paper over the exposed portion of the chart and changing them about at will until a combination of colors is found that meets the taste or requirements of the user. The matching of a color on the chart with another color or pigment can best be done by viewing the two colors through small holes cut in two sheets of white paper (or gray paper); the holes should be small enough to show only the desired color in each case. It will be observed that the Harmony Chart (No. 1) does not contain any of the lighter tones of color, but on the contrary ranges from full tones of color to deep shades of color; where lighter tones or tints of color are desired in a combination, they may be observed by viewing the chart through very thin white tissue- or wax-paper. A mask will not be necessary when the chart is viewed in such a manner, as all the colors on the chart should harmonize when sufficiently reduced with white. For decorative purposes, however, or in cases where a more confined harmony would be desirable, the mask may be used in the usual way when viewing the chart through white tissue-paper. A harmony of pure hues may be determined on the Nomenclature Chart (No. 2) by placing a mask over it so as to expose an arc of 75 degrees on the color ring. (This arc will contain five divisions of the colors.) On the nomenclature chart it will be noticed that the hue named lemon yellow does not accord well with the hue x Directions XV commonly recognized by that name. This is partly because the color generally known as lemon yellow is more or less a tint, that is, a full hue mixed with white; on the chart it is intended to show only full hues. Then again the art of printing does not readily lend itself to scientific accuracy, and the author will be pleased if the charts are only approxi- mately correct. Pure minus colors magenta and cyan blue are not at present obtainable in permanent pigments, therefore these charts should never be exposed to sunlight, and when not in use should be protected from all light. Treated in this way they will last for years unimpaired. } “The Colorist’ Byi/eAe silat Harmony Chart No. | An actual example of the Subtractive Method of Combining Colors. This Chart together with the mask is designed for the purpose of py .4n NOSTRAND CO. determining color harmonies. See directions on preceding pages. Publishers, N. Y. ¢ e 39 ‘ 2s y An approximation of the ae a oS & > D Additive Method of Com- AD ie oa) > - D» & bining Colors. (Not an actual example.) Y > Y 3 mgs as “ en a j=) a x = ce Showing proposed names for hues 15° apart. Bile ae Sec poe CO. udlishners, . . Colors opposite each other are complementary. THE COLORIST CHAPTER I LIGHT THE SOURCE OF COLOR fact that objects reflect light which, entering the eye, excites the optic nerve, and through it, the brain. Light therefore is the agency which causes the sensation of sight and also of color through the nerves of the eye, which are sensitive to the light rays. ae: the eye is enabled to see objects is due to the The accepted explanation for this phenomenon is that what we call or know as light rays are in reality a series of waves or agitations of the hypothetical ether, which pervades all space. The eye is constructed so as to be sensitive to these agitations when they impinge upon it, somewhat after the fashion of the focussing screen or ground glass in a camera behind the lens. Colors are due to differences in the length and rapidity of vibration of these ether waves, those of one length and corresponding rapidity giving a different color sensa- 2 The Colorist tion from those of a different length and rapidity of vibra- tion. Where waves of different lengths are transmitted together, the color sensation will correspond to the result- ant or additive combination of all the transmitted waves. Light is commonly produced by incandescence, natural light being rays of sunlight, artificial light being produced - by various incandescent materials. The intensity of the heat of the incandescent source, as well as the nature of the incandescent material, seems to be a determining factor as to its general color, the greatest temperature producing light rich in violet rays, the lesser tempera- ture producing light with a larger amount of red rays. Sunlight is a comparatively yellow light, or rich in red rays. This is not at all times so obvious because of the color of the atmosphere which, being blue, has a ten- dency to make the average of light which we perceive more nearly white. The electric arc lamp often produces a bluish or violet light. Most of the common sources of light, such as can- dle-light, gas, oil, or incandescent electric lamps, produce a yellow light. It may be pointed out that this tendency to yellow in artificial light may be corrected by allowing the light to pass through a bluish-colored glass, which should make the light more white. Light may be either direct or diffused; direct when it is not interfered with in going from its source to an object illuminated, as a ray of gaslight falling on a near object, Light the Source of Color 3 or diffused when the light is interfered with, as sunlight on a cloudy day, or by reflection, as the daylight illumination of a room through-a north window. Light may be divided into various colors, as in the spectroscope (a prism of glass arranged in an optical instru- ment, the image in such instrument being called a spec- trum), or by a laminated surface, such as mother-of-pearl. Colored objects have the property of dividing light by absorption. When we look at a red object which is illumi- nated with white light, the sensation of red is produced because the violet and green rays are absorbed by the object, and not reflected, leaving only the red rays to be reflected to the eye. It will be seen on examining the image in a spectro- scope (the spectrum) that light is divided into three natu- ral or grand divisions, namely, ved, green, and violet. A small band of yellow and of blue may also be observed in the spectrum. These may be accounted for by the over- lapping of the red and green rays in the case of the yellow, and the overlapping of the green and violet rays in the case of the blue. It is of course true that there are certain portions of the yellow in a pure spectrum which we are not able to divide into the red and green elements. The fact remains, however, that we can make all hues of yellow by over- lapping the red and green. The above remarks also apply to the blue. The red waves are regarded as being the longest, and the 4 | The Colorist violet waves the shortest. The lengths of light waves are said to vary from 750 to 400 million parts of a millimeter. If under white light an object appears white, this is due to its reflecting all light; if it appears black, it is due to its absorbing all the light, and consequently reflecting none. If it absorbs some of the light rays or waves, it will appear of the color corresponding to the remaining rays or waves which are reflected back to the eye of the observer. The foregoing on the general theory of light is not complete or strictly accurate from a scientific standpoint, but is regarded as a preferable and sufficient preliminary presentation for the purposes of this work. With a medium amount of illumination, the red and violet colors of the ordinary spectrum may be considered as representative or standard. This is not the case, how- ever, with the green color of the spectrum, which is to a slight degree diluted with white. The green color may be considered nearly correct as to hue, but deficient in power or lacking in strength, and slightly tinged with yellow. This deficiency in the color of the green of the ordinary spectrum is probably caused by a slight overlapping or diffusion of a greater amount of the red rays on one side and a smaller amount of the violet rays on the other side. An excess of illumination has a tendency to make a number of changes in the colors of the spectrum, such as making the violet more blue, the green more yellow, and the red also becomes more yellow when thus illuminated. Light the Source of Color | i For this reason the normal spectrum may be seen best with a medium illumination. Only a small proportion of the ether waves or ur.dula- tions is visible to the eye. Some of these waves are too long or too slow, as those of the infra-red, while others are too short or too rapid, as those of the ultra-violet. This may be demonstrated with an electric arc lamp rich in violet rays, by cutting out the red and green rays entirely, and a large proportion of the bluish-violet rays; this may be done with a strong violet-ray filter used in connection with a very pale-yellow filter. Now by observ- ing the remaining violet light through a solution of sulphate of quinine, which has the property of slowing down or lengthening the light rays or waves, we will perceive a much brighter violet than is the case when viewing the light without the intervention of the sulphate of quinine. This proves that when the ultra-violet rays are slowed down or lengthened, they become visible. We shall treat only of the visible rays in this book. The eye is supposed to be supplied with three sets of nerves, each more responsive to the action of one of the erand divisions of light than to the others. Thus, one set is acted upon mostly by the red rays, another set by the green rays, and another set by the violet rays, the com- bined action of all the rays producing the sensation of white light. 7 The luminosity or brilliancy of the light has a great deal to do with the extended color action of the eye nerves. 6 The Colorist For instance, in a normal or weak reflected light it is pos- sible that each color nerve is acted upon by only its own selective color. A wave action confined to only one of the sets of nerves would obviously produce the sensation of color that that particular set of nerves was sensitive to; likewise, the wave action on two sets of nerves will produce the sensation of the mixture of those two rays; for example, when the red sensitive and the green sensitive nerves are acted upon simultaneously, the sensation of yellow is produced, which is the resulting mixture of those two light rays. It is evident that the eye is primarily designed or con- structed for seeing white light, from the fact that when less than the three nerves are acted on at one time, the nerves so acted on become fatigued. This can be demon- strated by the following experiment. Place on a well- illuminated sheet of white paper a small patch of brilliant color, say red. After having allowed the eye to rest by closing the eyelids for twenty seconds or more, allow it to observe the color patch for a similar length of time. After having observed the color patch for a sufficient length of time, transfer the gaze quickly to another part of the paper, or quickly remove the color patch. There will now be observed in place of the red color patch, a similar form, but of a complementary color (blue). One explanation for this is that the color of the patch has fatigued the eye nerves which respond to its color, and ' when the gaze is transferred to the white paper, the com- Light the Source of Color 7 plementary color nerves to that of the color patch, not hav- ing been fatigued, respond more freely to the action of the white light reflected from the paper, thereby having the effect of tinting it with the complementary color of the patch, or producing a negative image. Another explanation is that tnis fatiguing action of the eye nerves has the property of calling up a sympathetic action of the nerves not acted on. This latter explanation gathers weight from the fact that the negative image so produced will have a more marked effect on a black surface than on a white one. The color of a so-called negative image of a Blue color is pale red. Green foe esicht-pink: Magenta ‘“ °° light green. Wellow. o> =. taint-violet. 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