Color Theory and Its Application in Art and Design

303 Pages·1987·11.33 MB·English

by  George A. Agoston (auth.)

Springer Series in Optical Sciences Volume 19
Edited by David L. MacAdam
Springer Series in Optical Sciences
Editorial Board: D.L. MacAdam A.L. Schawlow K. Shimoda A. E. Siegman T. Tamir
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George A. Agoston
Color Theory
and Its Application
in and Design
Art
Second Completely Revised and Updated Edition
With 139 Figures and 23 Color Plates
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg GmbH
GEORGE A. AGOSTON
4 Rue Rambuteau, F-75003 Paris, France
Editorial Board Professor KmcHI SHIMODA
Faculty of Science and Technology
Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku
Yokohama 223, Japan
Professor ANTHONY E. SIEGMAN
DAVID L. MAcADAM, Ph. D.
Electrica! Engineering
68 Hammond Street E. L. Gintzton Laboratory, Stanford University
Rochester, NY 14615, USA Stanford, CA 94305, USA
THEODOR TAMIR, Ph. D.
ARTHUR L. SCHAWLOW, Ph. D.
Polytechnic University
Department of Physics, Stanford University 333 Jay Street
Stanford, CA 94305, USA Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA
ISBN 978-3-540-17095-2 ISBN 978-3-540-34734-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-540-34734-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data. Agoston, George A., 1920-. Color theory and its
application in art and design. (Springer series in optica! sciences ; v. 19) Bibliography: p. Includes index.
1. Color. 1. Title. II. Series. QC495.A32 1987 535.6 86-29685
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© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1979 and 1987
Originally published by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York in 1987
The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence
of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations
and therefore free for general use.
Foreword
This book directly addresses a long-felt, unsatisfied need of modern color
science - an appreciative and technically sound presentation of the principles
and main offerings of colorimetry to artists and designers, written by one
of them.
With his unique blend of training and experience in engineering, with
his lifelong interest and, latterly, career in art and art education, Dr. Agoston
is unusually well prepared to convey the message of color science to art and
design. His book fulfills the hopes I had when I first heard about him and
his book.
I foresee important and long-lasting impacts of this book, analogous
to those of the epoch-making writings by earlier artist-scientists, such as
Leonardo, Chevreul, Munsell, and Pope.
Nearly all persons who have contributed to color science, recently as
well as formerly, were attracted to the study of color by color in art. Use
of objective or scientific methods did not result from any cold, detached
attitude, but from the inherent difficulties of the problems concerning color
and its use, by which they were intrigued. Modern education and experience
has taught many people how to tackle difficult problems by use of scientific
methods. Therefore - color science.
Few artists or others who deal with color will deny that color poses dif
ficult problems. Capable people, all well-disposed to art and the aesthetic
approach, have recently added significantly to the knowledge of color and
to ways of working with it. They always intended that their findings would
be useful to artists and designers. Unfortunately, they have not succeeded
in conveying that message, or their contributions, to those intended ben
eficiaries. This book by Dr. Agoston will, I think, be the bridge of color
between the cultures of science and art, of which modern color scientists
have dreamed but never succeeded in building.
The book is understandable by all persons, no matter what their ed
ucation or experience. Everyone is interested in color. This book has a lot
for everyone, no matter how little they have to do with color, nor how little
their acquaintance with or interest in mathematics or physics. No equations
are used. There are many graphs. They can be understood by anyone who
reads newspapers or news magazines. Each graph, and its meaning for color,
is explained in simple words. Yet the book is not condescending or trivial.
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Knowledgeable scientists will find facts and perspectives that are not found
elsewhere, some of which will be new and stimulating, even to color scien
tists.
Rochester, September 1979 David L. MacAdam
VI
Preface to the Second Edition
This new edition includes some updating, the expansion of the discussions
of some topics, and the addition of new topics and illustrations. My aim
is unchanged. I wish to make selected pertinent knowledge in color science
accessible to artists and designers. I continue to adhere to the policy of avoid
ing the inclusion of mathematical equations and texts for which a technical
background of the reader must be assumed. But, for the benefit of those
who do possess a technical background, I have introduced a Notes Section
(Appendix) in which some equations and supporting technical information
are presented. The material in the Notes Section is supplementary; it is not
required reading for a full comprehension of the main text.
Chapter 11, entitled "Conditions of Viewing and the Colors Seen", is
the major addition to the book. Here several selected topics in psychol
ogy and physiology are discussed that extend the scope of the preceding
chapters. The topics are clearly within the domain of interest in art and
design. They include: color response in vision, adaptation, afterimages, si
multaneous contrast, colored shadows, edge contrast, and assimilation. The
discussion of the physiology of the eye in Chap. 2 has been expanded some
what in preparation for the material in Chap. II.
Much of the discussion of afterimages in Chap. 11 deals with afterimage
complementary pairs. This is the type of complementary colors considered
by Goethe in his color studies and frequently employed by artists in the past.
There are many discussions of afterimages in the old scientific color litera
ture. The more recent study by M.H. Wilson and R.W. Brocklebank (1955)
stands out as one that offers potentially useful information on complemen
tary pairs. The discussion of the Goethe color circle in the first edition has
been modified here to take afterimage complementary pairs into account.
The discovery of the attribute brilliance by the color scientist R.M.
Evans, referred to in Chap.3 of the first edition, does not seem to have
stirred up much interest among those currently engaged in color vision re
search. Yet, in my view, it is a potentially useful concept for artists and de
signers. More recently, R.W.G. Hunt has considered in detail the attributes
of perceived color and, in particular, their definitions. Both what he calls
colorfulness and the brilliance identified by Evans are treated in this edition.
Artists and designers are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about
the utility of the CIE chromaticity diagram. The CIE 1931 chromaticity
VII
diagram is the dominant tool employed in color specification today. However,
increasing use is being made of the CIE 1976 chromaticity diagram, which
is an approximately uniform version. A discussion has been introduced in
which the latter is presented.
The text concerning the especially important OSA Uniform Color Scales
has been expanded and now occupies a chapter by itself (Chap.9). Dia
grams are provided to identify both uniform color scales and uniform two
dimensional color arrays in the OSA scheme. The CIEL UV and CIELAB
color spaces possess similar potential value in art and design. These are both
discussed in greater detail (Chap. 8).
A number of sections in Chaps. 7 and 8 have been expanded, and the
following new topics have been introduced: iridescent colors (liquid crystals),
metameric illumination, color rendering, the German Standard Color Chart,
and two Japanese color sample sets (Chroma Cosmos 5000, Chromaton
707). The change in the Swedish NCS scheme of notation was not included
in the earlier edition of this book; the revised notation is presented here.
In the Introduction of the earlier edition, I cited names of contemporary
color scientists who have made technical contributions in areas that are par
ticularly pertinent in art and design. Not surprisingly, I have since learned
of other major contributors, and, if I attempted a new list, I fear that it,
too, would be inadequate. Now I appreciate better the rather widespread
concern in color science for the needs of artists.and designers.
In the preparations for this new edition, I have had the help and support
of a number of people. Once more I am particularly indebted to Dr. David
L. MacAdam for his critical comments. I am thankful to him for providing
the color photograph for Plate XII and the color samples used in preparing
Plate XIII. I am grateful to Prof. Leo M. Hurvich for his attention to my
numerous inquiries concerning his research, and to Miss Dorothy Nickerson
and Dr. Fred W. Billmeyer, Jr. for their assistance on various occasions.
In this edition, I have made use of information that had been generously
offered six years ago by Mr. Kenneth L. Kelly, of the National Bureau of
Standards, Washington, D.C., some of which I was unable to include in the
first edition.
I wish to acknowledge with thanks the help of French artist Yves Char
nay who supplied the two photographs of his painting in liquid crystals for
use in Plate III; of Dr. Takashi Hosono, President of the Japan Color In
stitute, Tokyo, who provided information about Chroma Cosmos 5000 and
Chromaton 707, and supplied the photograph for Plate XI and the diagram
for Fig.8.26; of Mr. Rolf G. Kuehni, Mobay Chemical Corp., Rock Hill,
South Carolina, who provided the spectral reflectance curve for Fig. 7.19;
and of Munsell Color, Baltimore, who provided photographs for Fig. 8.11
and Plate VIII and a set of CIEJMunsell conversion charts, which were
used for the preparation of Figs. 12.1-9. I wish to thank, too, Dr. Nahum
Joel for continued helpful discussions in the domain of physics. Again, the
VIII
Documentation Services of the Eastman Kodak Co. at Vincennes, France,
have aided by giving me access to their reference materials, and I am grateful
for this help.
These and others have contributed in various ways to my book. How
ever, the decisions that I have had to make in writing the book are my own,
and I accept the responsibility for what I have written.
I appreciate, in particular, Marjorie's tolerance. When she married me,
I was fully occupied as a painter. She certainly never dreamed that one day
I would take on the demanding task of writing a book on color.
Paris, March 1987 George A. Agoston
IX