Part 7 (1/2)
[Ill.u.s.tration]
131. One who attempts to make color compositions with no more reliable guide than taste can expect to accomplish no more than he who in music possesses a good ear but no musical training.
132. The note of discord in color is best avoided by an infallible guide, as the discord in music is best avoided by thorough training in the law of harmony. The color chart on page 73 has been so arranged that each of the shades is in exact harmony with the shade directly opposite.
133. For example, to ascertain the color that is in harmony with the shade denominated Red-Orange, it is necessary simply to lay a ruler across the diagram to find the corresponding harmony, which is Blue-Green.
134. We know that the primary colors are red, yellow and blue, and that the combination of any two of these gives a secondary color. The secondary color is the complement of the remaining third color; thus yellow and blue form green, and green is the complement or contrasting harmony of red. Red and yellow form orange, and orange is the complement of blue. Blue and red form violet, and violet is the complement of yellow. These are facts we all know. Now, if red is the complement or contrasting harmony of green, and yellow contrasts with violet, then red with one, two or three degrees of yellow added will contrast with green with one, two or three degrees of blue added.
a.s.sume, for example, that a decorator dealing with a red side-wall wishes upholsterings in the correct shade of green. He knows he has a red wall, he knows also that he wishes to use some shade of green, but without some fixed standard it is impossible for him to do more than approximate the correct shade of green to use. If, however, he could compare the red of his wall with his color chart and determine exactly which of the many shades of red, or which of the many yellow reds, or blue reds, the wall is toned in, it is a simple process to ascertain the exact green harmonizing with this red.
The second great use of the color chart is then an infallible guide to color harmony, whether a.n.a.lagous or contrasting.
OLD SYSTEM
R
RRO
RO
ROO
O
OOY
OY
OYY
Y
YYG
YG
YGG
G
GGB
GB
------
===
===
===
===
======
===
===
===
======
===
===
===
=====
===
===
NEW
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
SYSTEM
RED
R 7
R 6
R 5
ORANGE
R 3
R 2
R 1
YELLOW
Y 7
Y 6
Y 5
GREEN
Y 3
Y 2
Y 1
Y 2
Y 3
Y 5
Y 6
Y 7
B 1
B 2
B 3
B 5
B 6
+---+---+---+---+------+---+---+---+---+--+---+---+---+-----+---+---+ H[A]
56R
48R
40R
32R
40Y
48Y
56Y
56Y
48Y
40Y
32Y
40B
48B
NORMAL
64
64
LINE
8Y
16Y
24Y
32Y
24R
16R
8R
8B
16B
24B
32B
24Y
16Y
+---+---+---+---+------+---+---+---+---+--+---+---+---+-----+---+---+ I[B]
56R
49R
42R
35R
28R
35Y
42Y
49Y
50Y
49Y
42Y
35Y
28Y
35B
42B
7Y
14Y
21Y
28Y
21R
14R
7R
7B
14B
21B
28B
21Y
14Y
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
+---+---+---+---+------+---+---+---+------+---+---+---+-----+---+---+ J
48R
42R
36R
30R
24R
30Y
36Y
42Y
48Y
48Y
36Y
30Y
24Y
30B
36B
6Y
12Y
18Y
24Y
18R
12R