Tuesday, October 27, 2015

OUGD404 - Michel Eugène Chevreul's Laws of Simultaneous Contrast



Michel Eugène Chevrel's Laws of Simultaneous Contrast, created in 1839, were a study of the apparent changes that occur when colours are placed next to one another. Any colour will influence it's neighbour in the direction of its complimentary, whilst contrasting colours make each other more vibrant and intense.

The study reveals information of the numerous types of contrast that occur between colour, including
contrast of tone, hue, saturation, temperature, and complimentary colours.

The Laws of Simultaneous Colour Contrast suggest that the contrast of colours will “affect the optical composition of each juxtaposed colour.” Having tested a series of colours on different types of background, Chevreul argues that the same colour might display different visual perceptions when placed upon different colors of background. The laws also identify that all primary colours appear pure when juxtaposed with grey; while black and white perceptually affect a colour’s brightness and toning. Chevreul also argues that a colour will be treated as figure rather than as ground when the brightness between the colour and its background are contrasting. 

Similarly to Chevreul's laws, György Kepes’ stated in his Language of Vision that 'Colour and value depend always upon the immediate surrounding surfaces.' This meaning that color can be either amplified or neutralized by its juxtaposed colour.

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