Quantum color
black and white is the definition of Chiaroscuro
it is binary
the addition of shades of gray qualifies the boundaries of black and white
strictly binary black and white chiaroscuro is visually flat
three dimensional form is given to objects by shades of gray
addition of color is the addition of temperature
colors temperatures are relatively warm and cool
physics measures color by a scale of temperature
above 700-800 degrees Celsius objects appear to glow with an indistinguishable red color
to be scientific the red color observed is heat
the infrared light range of the spectrum is invisible to the eye
at the other end of the color spectrum is ultraviolet radiation
although it is energetic it is not heat energy
it causes the fading of artist paint color pigments
impermanent pigments such as dyes fade faster than mineral pigments under ultraviolet light
the purpose of this digression is to characterize the familiar colors of the rainbow as energy
the concept of the colors of light as energy yields the quality relation of color temperature
colors have a temperature which we don't feel by the senses but is interpreted by the eye as such
it is paradoxical that the color of the object seen is the opposite color of the object itself
a green leaf for example absorbs red-orange light and reflects yellow-green light
color is perceived as temperature
it is against this background that it may be said that the color of paint is not the color of light
the color of an object itself is not the color of the light reflected by the object
a red apple looks red because it is green
artists play creatively with this paradox of inverse color contrasts
both a red apple and a red hot iron bar are red in the nominal sense of the term
the color association leads to identification of red with danger etc
while blue is nominally a cool color everyone has noticed the blue tinge of a gas stove flame
physically the tinge is caused by the metal of which the gas nozzle is made
pure copper and combined with other metals imparts a green tinge to colorless flame
this perception in turn leads to the virtue of color pigments
copper itself is not actually used as a color pigment
cadmium and barium salts are more commonly used for cool blue and green paint hue
the pigments used in paint are selected for their distinctive color because every element has its own light spectrum signature
a painting can therefore be thought of as a pattern of varying light temperature
the warm and cool quality of objects defines the relations of objects in space
warm colors are said by artists to advance and cool colors are said to recede
warm and cool colors my reverse position by color intensity
the strong color of paint directly from the paint tube is more intense than the same color diluted by mixture with other colors
full-strength cool colors can thus be closer in space as diluted warm colors may recede
all of the above factors may qualify the color used by an artist to give a painting its intended effect