Artistic color theory the modern phrenology #3: 7-part harmonies
Jun 1st, 2007 by Brad
At least Newton realized that color is intrinsically subjective (see previous posting), surely the great scientist didn’t twist his work for romantic notions.
Did you know Newton divided the color spectrum into 7 parts ROYGBIV, analogous to 7 notes CDEFGAB, because he wanted a one-to-one correspondence of color with music. Too bad our brain is wired completely differently for sound and color.
OK, Newton was a genius but that should serve as a reminder of how easy to get stuck on your pet ideas.
Goethe, Newton, Albers, etc. all part of eternally fruitless search for principles of visual harmony that goes back to antiquity. You really need to look at John Gage’s book mentioned in the last posting (modern phrenology #2: poetic injustice)
I noticed in Portland’s Powells book store that a new book was written by John Gage, but I didn’t get a chance to thumb through it. I need to take a look at it next time I get a chance.
… of course you could avoid learning more and just create work based on passe color theories and plan your every move every day by the bumps on your head.
