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The well-tempered color circle: A chromatic Gestalt
Jan J Koenderink1, Andrea J van Doorn2, Doris I Braun1
1Justus Liebig University Giessen, Germany.
I-Perception
|August 26, 2024
Summary
Artists intuitively understood the periodic nature of color hues, but a formal, "well-tempered" color order remains elusive. This study explores experimental phenomenology to define such an order using non-artist observations.
Area of Science:
- Visual Arts
- Colorimetry
- Experimental Phenomenology
Background:
- The "Color Circle" is a key chromatic Gestalt in visual arts.
- Conventional colorimetry lacks a formal equivalent to the Color Circle.
- Artists intuited the linear and periodic ordering of hues by the early 19th century.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the existence of a "well-tempered" color order.
- To explore the concept of metrical orders in color perception.
- To bridge the gap between artistic intuition and scientific colorimetry.
Main Methods:
- Experimental phenomenology approach.
- Observations from 30 non-artist participants.
- Analysis of perceived hue order and periodicity.
Main Results:
- The study discusses an attempt to define a "well-tempered" color order.
- Observations suggest potential for a standardized, periodic hue arrangement.
- Findings are based on subjective perceptual data from non-artists.
Conclusions:
- A formal, universally accepted "well-tempered" color order is not yet established.
- Further experimental phenomenology is needed to define such an order.
- Bridging artistic and scientific perspectives on color is crucial.
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