Color theory

Prof | Michelle Hinebrook Color Theorist | Color Workshop

Rajkishori Desai | Grad Comm.D Pratt Institute | Spring 2013

color theory WILLIAM BENSON



About

-William Benson was the first express color theory as a CUBE.

-The basic colors used were RED, BLUE and GREEN.

-Published a book ‘Principle of Science Of Color’.

- Main Highlight being Additive and Subtrac-tive quality of colors.

The architect William Benson published his cuboid system in 1868, in London



theory- The cube stands on its black corner, and three edges extend outwards to the basic colours of red, green and blue. From the white tip, the edges lead to a yellow, a sea-green and a pink corner.

-Consisted of 13 axis: 3 connect to the mid point-sof opposing called primary ,6 connects to the midpoints of opposing edges called secondary and 4 axes that connect opposing corners called tertiary. -In 1868, Benson proposed the first of his many colour-cubes. He considered this arrangement to be the ‘natural system of colours’.

B

B

R

R

W

W

G

G



explAtion of theory

BLACK tip leads to basic colors.

WHITE tip leads to com-plimentary colors

COMPLETE DARKNESS

COMPLETE BRIGHTNESS

- The cube stands on its black corner, and three edges extend outwards to the ba-sic colours of red, green and blue. From the white tip, the edges lead to a yellow, a sea-green and a pink corner.

- Was aiming to bridge the gap between natural light colors and pigments.

-Also Beson called the color unusual Pink and not Violet because he said it was too dark.



Additive And subtrActive

- Intends to show primary color at equal strenght, in overlaping circles upon Black where they form binary compounds overlapping in pairs, and White where the three overlap.-The other however exhibits taking away the same three simple colors from white in 3 overlapping circles, leaving a secondary color where only one is taken away,a primary color where 2 are taken away,and Black where all colors are removed.



intermediAte colors

- There are 2 ways to determine interme-diate colorsa)Two colors maybe presented to the eye in required proportion in rapid succession such that the eye does not perceive the change.b)To place small spots of color on neutral ground,equally illuminated at equal dis-tance. This is done such that the whenthe right amount of light falls on the colors, the intermidiate color is revealed.

-Indigo for instance absorbs the red rays, but allows some of the green with blue.



primAry And secondAry colors

The best Red , Blue and Green in the solar spectrum give nearest possible approach for the three primar colors,and therefore at their complementary colors Seagreen, Yellow and Pink, give the nearest possible approach to those binary compounds of primaries which are known as secondary colors.

-The brightness of each of these last( in its greatest intensity)must be equal to the sum of brightnessof their full intesities of their simple component.

EG: Seagreen produced by the rays of green and blue must be as bright as green and blue together = +

Seagreen as bright as geen and blue together



williAm benson’s model

BLACK Tip abscence of light

White Tip presence of light



my representAtion

The cube has been opened to re-veal the colors on all sides. This gives a better understanding of how the primary, secondary and tertiary colors interact



drAwbAcks

As the form to represent the theory was a cube there was one basic problem:

-It does not fully allow for the significance of brightness, and therefore places the color hues wrongly.

-Also, Benson’s system appears to the eye of the critical observer more as a confusion of colours.

Education

Color theory