The mysteries of color have long excited people. Back in ancient times he received his symbolic meaning. Color has become the basis for many scientific discoveries. It not only influenced physics or chemistry, but also became important for philosophy and art. Over time, knowledge about color became wider. Sciences have begun to appear that study this phenomenon.
Concepts
The first thing that should be mentioned is the basics of color science. This is the science of color, which contains systematized information from various studies: physics, physiology, psychology. These areas study the phenomenon of shades, combining the results obtained with data on philosophy, aesthetics, history, and literature. Scientists have been studying color as a cultural phenomenon for a long time.
But coloristics is a more in-depth study of color, its theory and application by man in different areas activities.
Historical background
It is no wonder that these sciences have long excited people. Of course, at that time there were no such concepts as “color science” and “coloristics”. Nevertheless, the color was given great value in culture and development of peoples.
History can provide us with a huge layer of knowledge about this. Therefore, scientists usually divide all this time into two stages: the period before the 17th century and the time from the 17th century to the present day.
Becoming
Starting a journey through the history of colorism, you need to return to Ancient East. At that time there were 5 primary colors. They symbolized the four cardinal directions and the center of the earth. China stood out for its special brightness, naturalness and color. Later, everything changed, and monochrome and achromatic painting began to be observed in the culture of this country.
India and Egypt were even more developed in this regard. There were two systems observed here: a ternary one, which contained the main colors at that time (red, black and white); and also Vedic, based on the Vedas. The latter system was deepened in philosophy, so it contains red, symbolizing the eastern rays of the Sun, white - the rays of the South, black - the rays of the West, very black - the rays of the North and the invisible - the center.
In India great importance paid attention to the design of palaces. Traveling around the world, even now you can see that white, red and gold were often used. Over time, yellow and blue began to be added to these shades.
Religion in color
Western Europe in the Middle Ages looked at the basics of color science from the side of religion. At that time, other shades began to appear that had not previously been mistaken for the main ones. White began to symbolize Christ, God, angels, black - underworld and Antichrist. Yellow meant enlightenment and the work of the Holy Spirit, and red meant the Blood of Christ, fire and the sun. Blue symbolized the sky and the inhabitants of God, and green symbolized food, vegetation and the earthly path of Christ.
At this time, the same thing is happening with color in the Near and Middle East. This is where Islam gains influence. Basically, the meaning of colors remains the same. The only thing is that green becomes the main one and symbolizes the Garden of Eden.
Rebirth
Flower science and coloristics are transforming again. Before the second stage comes the Renaissance era. At this time, Leonardo da Vinci proclaims his color system. It consists of 6 options: white and black, red and blue, yellow and green. Thus, science is gradually approaching modern concept colors.
Newtonian breakthrough
The 17th century is the beginning of a new stage in classification. Newton uses the white spectrum, where he discovers all chromatic colors. In science, a completely different vision appears on this matter. There invariably remains red, to which orange is added, there are also green and blue, but along with them blue and violet are found.
New theories
The 19th century in Europe leads us to naturalism and impressionism. The first style proclaims complete correspondence of tones, while the second is based only on the transfer of images. At this time, painting with the basics of color science appeared.
Then the theory of Philip Otto Runge arises, which distributes the system according to the principle of a globe. Along the equator " globe» pure primary colors are located. The upper pole occupies White color, bottom - black. The rest of the space is taken up by mixtures and shades.
The Runge system is very calculated and has its place. Each square on the globe has its own “address” (longitude and latitude), so it can be determined by calculation. Others followed in the footsteps of this scientist and tried to improve the system and create a more convenient option: Chevreul, Goltz, Betzold.
The truth is near
In the Art Nouveau era, scientists were able to get closer to the truth and create a modern color model. This was facilitated by the peculiarities of the style of the time itself. Creators create their masterpieces, paying great attention to color. It is thanks to him that you can express your vision of art. Color begins to merge with music. It gets a huge number of shades, even in the case of a limited palette. People have learned to distinguish not only primary colors, but also tone, darkening, muting, etc.
Modern performance
The basics of color science led man to simplify the previous attempts of scientists. After Runge's globe, there was Ostwald's theory, in which he used a circle with 24 colors. Now this circle remains, but has been halved.
Scientist Itten was able to develop ideal system. His circle consists of 12 colors. At first glance, the system is quite complicated, although you can figure it out. There are still three main colors here: red, yellow and blue. There are second-order composite colors that can be obtained by mixing the three primary colors: orange, green and violet. This also includes third-order composite colors, which can be obtained by mixing the primary color with second-order composites.
The essence of the system
The main thing you need to know about the Itten circle is that this system created not just to correctly classify all colors, but also to combine them harmoniously. The primary three colors, yellow, blue and red, are arranged in a triangle. This figure is inscribed in a circle, on the basis of which the scientist obtained a hexagon. Now they appear before us isosceles triangles, which contain second-order composite colors.
To get the right shade, you need to maintain equal proportions. To get green, you need to combine yellow and blue. To get orange, you need to take red, yellow. To make purple, mix red and blue.
As mentioned earlier, it is quite difficult to comprehend the basics of color science. is formed according to the following principle. Draw a circle around our hexagon. We divide it into 12 equal sectors. Now you need to fill in the cells with primary and secondary colors. The vertices of the triangles will point to them. Empty places need to be filled with shades of the third order. They, as mentioned earlier, are obtained by mixing primary and secondary colors.
For example, yellow and orange will create yellow-orange. Blue with violet - blue-violet, etc.
Harmony
It is worth noting that the Itten circle not only helps to create colors, but also combines them advantageously. This is needed not only by artists, but also by designers, fashion designers, makeup artists, illustrators, photographers, etc.
The combination of colors can be harmonious, characteristic and uncharacteristic. If you take opposite shades, they will look harmonious. If you choose colors that occupy sectors every other, you get characteristic combinations. And if you choose related colors that are located in a circle one after another, you will get uncharacteristic connections. This theory refers to a sector of seven colors.
In the Itten circle, this principle also works, but somewhat differently, since it is worth considering that there are 12 shades here. Therefore, in order to get two-color harmony, you should take tones that are opposite each other. Three-color harmony is obtained if we inscribe a rectangular harmony into a circle using the same method, but inside we inscribe a rectangle. If you place a square within a circle, you get four-color harmony. The hexagon is responsible for the six-color combination. In addition to these options, there is an analog harmony that is formed if we take chromatic colors of a yellow hue. For example, this is how we can get yellow, yellow-orange, orange and red-orange.
Properties
It is worth understanding that there are incompatible colors. Although this concept is quite controversial. The thing is that if you take bright red and the same green, the symbiosis will look very provocative. Each of them tries to dominate the other, which results in dissonance. Although such an example does not mean that it is impossible to harmoniously combine red and green. To do this you need to understand the properties of color.
A color tone is a set of shades that belong to the same thing. Saturation is the degree of fading. Lightness is the approximation of a hue to white and vice versa. Brightness is the degree of proximity of a hue to black.
Chromatic and achromatic colors are also distinguished. The second ones include white, black and shades of gray. To the first - all the rest. All these properties can affect the compatibility and harmony of shades. If you make the green less bright and a little faded, and make the red calmer by increasing the lightness, then these two supposedly incompatible shades can harmoniously combine.
Child's look
The basics of color science for children should be built in game form, as, in principle, all training. Therefore it is worth remembering famous phrase about spectral colors: “Every Hunter Wants to Know Where the Pheasant Sits.” For those adults who are unfamiliar with this children's life hack, it should be explained that the first letter of each word in this sentence represents the name of the tones in the spectrum. That is, at the head we have red, then orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. These are the colors that enter the rainbow in the same sequence. Therefore, first of all, draw a rainbow with your child.
When the baby is very small and, of course, does not know what the basics of color science are, it is better to buy him coloring books with examples. This is done so that the child does not paint the sky brown and the grass red. A little later you will be convinced that the baby will be able to determine the colors on his own, but first it is better to discuss possible options with him.
Emotions
A very long time ago, scientists were able to understand that any shade of the primary color can influence a person’s emotions. Goethe first spoke about this in 1810. Later, scientists found that the human psyche is connected with external reality, which means it can also influence emotions.
The next stage in this research was the discovery that each tone had an associated certain emotion. Moreover, this theory manifests itself almost from birth. It also became clear that there is a certain color code that relates to a number of emotions. For example, sadness, fear, fatigue, everything can be described in black or gray. But joy, interest, shame or love are usually associated with a red tint.
In addition to its psychological effects, color has been studied under clinical supervision. It turned out that red excites, yellow invigorates, green reduces blood pressure, and blue calms. It also all depends on the properties of the shade. If it is a calm red, then it can symbolize joy and love; if it is dark and bright, then it can symbolize blood and aggression.
Fundamentals of color science and coloristics - very complex sciences. They are difficult to fully understand, since everything here is quite relative and subjective. Color can affect one person in different ways; some people are not at all subject to shades. Some artists may find the combination of purple and yellow very harmonious, while others may find it disgusting and contradictory.
The main theoretical aspects of scientific color science and coloristics are considered: physical factors influencing the perception of color by the human visual apparatus; psychological and physiological effects colors of the surrounding natural and built environment; problems of color harmonization and targeted use of the capabilities of color as a means artistic expression V fine arts and architectural design. Are given practical recommendations to create a color solution for an architectural exterior and interior project.
For undergraduate students studying the disciplines of the block "Architectural Design", and master's students studying the disciplines "Painting" and "Color Science" in the direction of "Architecture". May be useful for students and specialists in areas in which Practical activities associated with the use of color.
Physical factors, creating the phenomenon of color perception.
The influence of various light sources and light-air environment on color perception.
Modern science explains the phenomenon of color perception by the ability human consciousness process into color sensations the impact on the visual apparatus of streams of radiant energy emitted by various sources. From the source, radiant energy spreads in all directions in the form of a stream of special particles - photons, which have different energies due to different oscillation frequencies. Streams of photons with different oscillation frequencies also have different electromagnetic wavelengths, while the oscillation frequency and wavelength are inversely proportional dependence. In a narrow range with wavelengths from 380 to 760 nm, these radiations are perceived by the visual apparatus as visible light different colors, and the mixture of all these radiations (full spectrum) is perceived as white light. Thus, in nature there is no actual color as a physical phenomenon, but there are properties of material objects that cause conscious visual sensations.
In physiology and psychology, color is a qualitative subjective characteristic electromagnetic radiation optical range, determined on the basis of conscious visual sensation and depending on a number of physical, physiological and psychological factors.
Introduction
Lecture 1. Physical factors that create the phenomenon of color perception. The influence of various light sources and light-air
environment on color perception
Lecture 2. Color spectrum. The color wheel as the basis for a graphic representation of a color system. Laws of color mixing. Additive and subtractive color mixing. Primary and secondary colors
Lecture 3. Basic characteristics of color - hue, saturation, lightness. Basic subjective (psychological)
and objective (psychophysical) characteristics of color
Lecture 4. Systematics and classification of flowers. Color systems. Color atlases
Lecture 5. Colorimetric method of describing colors. Color coordinate systems (CCS). Electronic models color spaces. Electronic systems color management
Lecture 6. Psychophysiological properties of color
Lecture 7. Color associations and color preferences.
Color as an indicator of style and aesthetic orientation of society
Lecture 8. The phenomenon of color culture. Symbolism of color. The use of associative qualities of color in iconic color systems
Lecture 9. Types of color contrasts
Lecture 10. Color composition. Color harmony, coloring, color scheme
Lecture 11. Basic principles of the theory of color harmony and typology of color harmonization
Lecture 12. Analysis of initial data and generation of material for a preliminary design of a coloristic architectural solution
exterior
Lecture 13. Analysis of initial data and generation of material for a preliminary design of interior color solutions
Bibliography
Download the e-book for free in a convenient format, watch and read:
Download the book Fundamentals of color science and coloristics, color in painting, architecture and design, course of lectures, Rat A.P., 2014 - fileskachat.com, fast and free download.
- Spot painting, Master classes for beginners, Zaitseva A.A., 2014
- Guidelines for laboratory work in the discipline, Theory and methodology for guiding the visual activities of preschool children, Rusak T.N., 2014
Visible and invisible rays of sunlight. The phenomenon of the rainbow. The concept of color and spectrum. Determination of illumination. Reflection, absorption, transmission and scattering of light rays, dependence on the nature of the surface.
The concept of achromatic colors. Dependence of white, gray and black shades on the reflectance of rays. Matte and glossy surfaces. Characteristics of achromatic shades. Brightness factor. The concept of the “gray scale”, options for its implementation. The purpose of the “gray scale” and its use in painting.
Types of flowers. The concept of chromatic colors. Dependence of color shades on the reflectance of rays. Physical Basics color vision. Characteristics of chromatic shades. Brightness coefficients and saturation.
Basic concepts of color science - brightness and lightness, saturation and lightness, their definition. Patterns of color perception. Definition of color series, types of color series.
Luminance and chromatic contrast. Effects of simultaneous and edge contrasts. Complementary and non-complementary colors. Pairs of contrasting and complementary colors as the basis of the color wheel.
Synthesis of flowers. Subtractive color mixing. Formation various types color circle. Solid and stepped color wheels. The physical color circle of I. Newton and his successor Grassmann. Color wheel I.V. Goethe and his modification by W. Betzold. The importance of the color wheel for determining harmonious color combinations.
Original color systems. The theory of color by V. Kandinsky. Color ball F.O. Runge. Double cone of W. Ostwald. P. Mondrian's color system. Basic color square according to V. B. Ustin.
Aesthetic perception of color. Differences in colors based on basic compositional properties. Reception of associations when choosing color combinations. Warm and cold shades. Options for dividing the color wheel. Protruding and receding colors. Types of color.
Achromatic and chromatic low-contrast combinations. Intervals in the color wheel and achromatic series. Small interval. Harmony of color relationships. Nuanced color combination.
Achromatic and chromatic sharply contrasting combinations. Intervals in the color wheel and achromatic series. Large interval. Harmony of color relationships. Contrasting color combination. Triad of color shades.
Equally spaced achromatic row. Selection of brightness coefficient. Harmonious combination of achromatic shades. Achromatic color composition.
Multi-tone color compositions. A harmonious combination of achromatic and chromatic (warm and cold) shades. Monochromatic combinations. Selection of brightness coefficient and constant contrast using a single-tone triangle. Monochromy.
A harmonious combination of two chromatic shades. Contrasting and nuanced color solutions. Selection of brightness and saturation coefficients. Polar color composition.
Multi-tone color compositions. A harmonious combination of three chromatic shades. Using color wheel triads. Contrasting and nuanced color solutions, using the dominant color and adjusting the areas of tonal surfaces. Three-color composition.
A harmonious combination of four chromatic shades. Contrasting and nuanced color solutions using a dominant color. Average brightness color composition. Multicolor. Using an image outline. Decorative color composition.
Formation of harmonious color combinations in the artistic practice of art and design. Properties of the dominant color and area of color components. Principles for choosing a dominant color.
Concepts of texture and texture. The use of decorative surfaces in easel art, interior design and design. Specifics of manual design graphics. Properties of paints and graphic materials. Techniques for obtaining decorative textures (examples). Features of the perception of texture and texture.
Drawing. Painting.
Concept drawing. Easel, academic and educational drawing. Varieties of drawing according to purpose and methods, technique and nature of drawing, genres and themes. Formation of skills in depicting objects of the objective world, space and the human figure by studying the basics of construction, design and space. Development as a designer constructive thinking, ability to analyze and synthesize spatial forms.
Various graphic materials that are used to make a drawing: pencil, charcoal, sauce, pastel, sanguine, felt-tip pen. Description of them, form of manufacture. Application area. Combination with different types paper. Features of drawing techniques various materials: color tonality, stroke character, texture, tonal gradation. Possibility of combining materials.
Educational drawing from life, as opposed to drawings from memory and imagination. Drawing the form and identifying its character. Identification of the spatial position of the form, light and shadow elaboration. Finding proportional relationships. The use of sketches, sketches and sketches, the specifics of their implementation.
Shaping elements. Simple and complex shapes. Construction is the basis of form. Generalization and geometrization. The framework of the drawing of symmetrical bodies is the “axial” and generatrix lines, circles of rotation. Contour (outline) of an object.
A realistic method of depicting objects. Transfer of volume on a plane. Definition linear perspective. Frontal and angular perspectives. Basic concepts of perspective. Choosing a horizon line and point of view. Aerial perspective effect. Achieving planning in composition.
Chiaroscuro as a means of depicting objects, their volume and position in space. Revealing the volume of objects using lighting, laying out chiaroscuro. The dependence of the illumination of an object on the incidence of a ray of light. Determination of light, glare, penumbra, reflex. Own and falling shadows.
General compositional placement of still life elements on the plane of paper. Choosing a compositional center. Definition of proportional relationships, promising position, tonal relationships of objects. Coherence and balance of details, generalization of the drawing.
Selecting the type of perspective and viewer's location. Possible perspective distortions and interior adjustments. Transmission of natural and artificial lighting. Using aerial perspective to depict the exterior. Formation of the first, second and third plans of the landscape.
The concept of plein air. Materials and tools for working outdoors. its meaning in artistic training artist and designer. Features of the transmission of lighting and color of the landscape.
Materials for paintings: watercolor, gouache, oil, tempera, acrylic. Description, form of manufacture, methods of breeding. Combination with different types of paper and canvas. Application area. Tools. Features of applying an image using various materials and tools: the nature of the stain, texture and texture, flow. Transparent and dull colors. Color palette.
I made a note on coloring for myself, so as not to forget. I tried to shorten it as much as possible, so I ended up with a lot of smart words. The outline is not complete, but somehow I can’t get around to finishing it. If anyone wants to add something, don't hesitate.
Color is the result of the interaction of three components: light source, object And observer. The observer perceives the wavelengths of light emitted by the light source and modified by the object.
Light, human visible- this is a small part light spectrum electromagnetic waves.
Light waves themselves have no color, but different wavelengths are associated with specific colors.
Color order unaltered- from short-wave range (violet) to long-wave range (red) or vice versa. Wavelengths slightly longer than red light occupy the infrared (IR) range. Waves shorter than violet are the ultraviolet (UV) range.
Items on their own have no color, he appears only when they lighting.
A person perceives two types of color: color of the glowing object(color of light or additive color) and color of light reflected from an object(pigment color or subtractive color).
Basic or primary colors are colors that can be mixed to obtain all other colors and shades. Mixing type ( additive or subtractive) defines the primary colors.
Additional or complementary colors (located opposite each other on the color wheel) are pairs of colors that, when mixed additively, produce white, and when mixed subtractively, gray or black. For RGB colors, CMY will be complementary (and vice versa). Each color can be contrasted not with one contrasting (complementary) color, but nearby a couple, which forms it.
The given scheme of primary colors only works for computer graphics systems. Traditional artists the main colors are considered red, yellow and blue. Colors obtained by mixing primary colors are called composite(green, orange, purple). The sum of the composite colors will produce brown.
Additive mixing- (from the English add - add, i.e. addition to black of other light colors) or RGB(Red, Green, Blue) is a color synthesis method in which the primary colors are additive red, green and blue. In this system lack of flowers gives black colors adding all colors — white. Selection of main three colors due to the physiology of the retina of the human eye.
Subtractive mixing(from the English subtract - subtract, i.e. subtraction colors from a common beam of reflected light) or CMY(Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) is a color synthesis method in which the primary colors are subtractive cyan, magenta and yellow. The color model is based on the absorption properties of the ink. In this system lack of flowers gives white color (white paper), and mixing all colors- conditionally black(in fact, printing inks, when mixed with all colors, give a dark brown, and to give a truly black shade, add black key ink - Key color). It has a small color gamut compared to RGB.
The RGB and CMYK color models are theoretically additional to each other, and their spaces are partially overlap.
CIE LAB color model (or Lab). In this model, any color is determined brightness"L" (Luminance) and two chromatic components: parameter “a” (varies from green before red) and parameter “b” (varies from blue before yellow). Colors developed within this model will look the same both on screen and when printed, regardless of the type of playback device. Possesses the largest color gamut.
Color properties:
Color tone or shade ( Hue) - a set of color shades, similar with the same spectrum color.
Saturation (Saturation) - degree fadedness.
Lightness (Lightness) — degree of closeness of color to white.
Brightness (Brightness) — degree of closeness of color to black.
Chromatic colors - all colors except achromatic. They have all three properties.
Achromatic(“colorless”) colors - white, shades of gray and black. The main property is lightness.
Spectral colors are seven key colors spectrum.
Non-spectral colors (colors, not included in the color spectrum) - This shades of gray, colors mixed with achromatic colors (for example: pink, like a mixture of red and white), brown And purple colors(Magenta).
Itten color wheel:
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INSTITUTE OF FASHION, DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY
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COLOR AND COLORISTICS
“You need to be able to think in colors and shapes as well,
How we can think in concepts and ideas. You need to learn to live in color and shapes.”
Rudolf Steiner (January 25, 1920)
Problems of color from various angles are currently being studied in a number of sciences and scientific disciplines. Physics studies the energetic nature of light and color, physiology is the process of perception by the human eye of waves of a certain length and transforming them into color, psychology is the problem of color perception and its impact on the psyche, biology is the meaning and role of color in the life of living and plant organisms, mathematics develops techniques color measurements. In total the listed sciences is scientific color science.
While studying the material, we will certainly touch upon these sciences, but, most importantly, we will consider the aesthetic properties of color, the laws of creating a color system, harmony, various techniques the use of contrasts, the relationship of colors with other components, such as line, plasticity, chiaroscuro and much more to create a unique image of a modern person.
To see you need light. Newton was the first to base scientific experiment showed the complex relationship between light and color. From his experiments it became known that the sensation of color depends on what kind of light rays act on the eye, and that ordinary white sunlight equal to the sum of all colors: “...the rays, to be precise, are not colored. There is nothing else in them except the power or predisposition to excite one color or another.”
However, the power of the usual idea of the separate existence of light and color was so great that Newton’s discovery was not immediately and not by everyone. Even in the 19th century, many prominent scientists, and especially philosophers and artists, were skeptical about him. Hegel, for example, considered bad and false representation as if light were made up of different colors.
SOURCES OF LIGHT
It’s logical to start a conversation about light by considering what serves as its source. It is known that light is like a natural phenomenon is a form of energy called radiant energy, which in the form electromagnetic vibrations spreads in space until it encounters on its way some surface or substance that converts it into other types of energy. This energy is emitted various sources: sun, moon, stars and artificial ones - fire, incandescent lamps, etc. Depending on their size, power and degree of distance from the illuminated objects, the sources create different lighting conditions and various lighting effects.
Sunlight is the most natural and familiar, and the human eye is better adapted to it. Electric light contains more rays from the long-wave part of the spectrum and, as a result, has a somewhat yellowish tint, which noticeably affects the perception of objects illuminated by this light. Artificial, so-called “daylight” light does not have some long-wave rays and objects in it acquire cold, dirty shades. Concentrated light emitted point source, slightly erasing the colors, enhances the volumetric-plastic qualities of the object. With side lighting, the object is visually divided into two parts - illuminated and darkened, which seem to negate each other, and on the other hand, emphasize the unity of the overall volumetric form. Diffused light makes the object appear flatter and creates softer colors and shapes. The most common thing for us is lighting from above, when the shadows are below - it creates a feeling of heaviness below, which is familiar. “Know,” Leonardo da Vinci warned, “that if you illuminate a person, even well known to you, from below, it will be difficult for you to recognize him.” This effect is described by the English scientist Brewster (19th century) in “Letters on Natural Magic.” If you change the direction of light falling on the middle of an object, from top to bottom, the bulges become like depressions. This will be explained by “the result of the activity of our own mind, the result of our assessment of forms and bodies, on the basis of the knowledge that light and shadow impart to us.”
VISUAL PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD
“Creativity begins with vision. Vision –
This is already a creative act that requires tension.”
Henri Matisse
The theory of aesthetic perception is based on the fact that perception basically represents cognitive process, defined by shapes and type visual perception.
We will place special emphasis on the fact that aesthetic perception is not a passive, contemplative act, but a creative, active process.
Every act of visual perception, according to Arnheim (author most interesting book"Art and visual perception"), is an active study of an object, its visual assessment, selecting existing features, comparing them with memory traces, analyzing them and organizing all this into a coherent image.
In the 20s of the last twentieth century, a new direction in psychology appeared, it is called Gestalt. The term Gestalt cannot be unambiguously translated into Russian; it has a number of meanings: holistic, image, structure, form. And it can be used without translation, meaning a holistic unification of elements of mental life, irreducible to the sum of its constituent parts. In their works, Gestalt psychologists paid great attention to problems of perception. They were primarily against associative theory perception that prevailed in psychological theories 19th century. They sought to prove that perception is holistic in nature and is built on the basis of the creation of integral structures - gestalts. Instead of abstract questions about how we see three dimensions, what sensory elements are, how their unification is possible, Gestalt psychologists put forward real and concrete problems: how we see things as they really are, how a figure is perceived separately from the background, what is surface, what shape is, why you can “change” its weight, dimensions and other parameters without changing anything in an object.
Let's try to figure out how we see and, thereby, help ourselves learn to manage visual perception.
So - any perception is also thinking, any reasoning is at the same time intuition, any observation is also creativity. And each person sees and hears only what he understands and rejects what he does not understand.
It is often believed that the eye is like a camera. However, there are signs of perception that are completely different from the camera. The eye supplies the brain with information that is encoded in nervous activity- a chain of electrical impulses, which in turn, with the help of its code and a certain structure of brain activity, reproduces objects. It's like letters when reading, symbols are not pictures. No internal pictures does not occur! For the brain, this structural excitation is the object.
A very interesting tendency of our brain to group objects and simple figures and continue (complete) unfinished lines. A few lines are what the eye needs, the rest will be completed by the brain as it develops and understands. (Caricatures, visions in flames or in the clouds - faces and figures, fortune telling on coffee grounds, etc.)
We can say with complete confidence that the process of visual perception also includes knowledge about an object, obtained from past experience, and this experience is not limited to vision, there is also touch and taste, color, olfactory, auditory, and perhaps even temperature, pain and other sensory characteristics of this item.
Perception goes beyond the sensations directly given to us. Perception and thinking do not exist independently of each other. The phrase: “I see what I understand” indicates a connection that really exists.
When describing objects and things, we constantly point out their correlation with environment. No object is perceived in isolation. Perceiving something means attributing “something” to it specific place in the system: location in space, degrees of brightness, color, size, size, distance, etc. Changing our hairstyle, we suddenly notice that our face has become a little rounder. When choosing a dress style, we dream of “stretching” our legs and neck and “reducing” our waist size. We can say with complete confidence that we see more than what hits the retina. And this is not an action of the intellect!
It seems incredible, but any line drawn on paper or applied to the surface of an object (in our case, on clothing or on the face) is like a stone thrown into the calm water of a pond. All this is a disturbance of peace, mobilization of space, action, movement. And vision perceives this movement, this action.
This is where perceptual powers come into play. Are these forces real? Perceptual objects naturally don't have them (of course, you didn't grow up wearing vertical stripes or expanding from horizontal stripes), but they can be thought of as psychological counterparts or equivalents to the physiological forces operating in the visual area of the brain. There is no reason to call these forces illusions; they are no more illusory than the colors inherent in the objects themselves, although colors from a physiological point of view are just a reaction nervous system to light with a certain wavelength (but more on that later).
MENTAL AND PHYSICAL BALANCE.
When discussing the influence of the location of an object on its perception, we inevitably encounter the factor of balance. From the point of view of physics, equilibrium is a state of a body in which the forces acting on it compensate each other. This definition also applies to perceptual powers. Like any physical body, each visual model that has boundaries has a fulcrum or center of gravity. Why do you need balance in creating an image? An unbalanced composition, be it a drawing, furniture arrangement, selection of clothes or colors and lines of makeup and hairstyle, looks random and temporary. When there is a lack of calm and clarity, we have the impression of destruction or sloppiness. For example, the clown's clothes are red and blue, dividing the body in half - and the figure seems ridiculous, although both halves of the body and their physical weight are equal. We can say with complete confidence that the lack of balance leads to the impossibility of perceiving a single whole.
WEIGHT. When creating a visual composition, one should not forget about apparent weight. Weight depends on the location of the part or item. An element located in the center of the composition or close to it weighs less than others. The part at the top seems heavier than at the bottom, and the part located with right side has more weight than with the left. Weight also depends on size; naturally, a larger object will look heavier. Now, as for the “weight” of color, red (warm) color is heavier than blue (cold), and bright and light colors heavier than dark ones. For example, in order to mutually balance black and white, it is necessary to make the area of black space slightly larger than white. Weight is also influenced by the shape of the object and the direction of perceived objects. Correct geometric shape always looks heavier than the wrong one. For example, when comparing a ball, square and triangle of the same weight and color, the ball seems to be the heaviest.
DIRECTION. Direction, like weight, affects balance, i.e. to create a general impression of the subject. It is very important to understand and remember that in elongated forms, the spatial orientation of which deviates from the horizontal or vertical by a small angle, this direction becomes dominant. The simplest and most accessible example of this rule is the slightly offset seam on the once fashionable seamed stockings!
RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE. A difficult problem arises from the asymmetry of right and left. Any object located on the right looks heavier than the left. Experts believe that everything located on the left has higher value to the observer than what is located in the center or to the right. Remember where the speaker's podium is, where the main action on stage takes place: in the middle, and more often on the left. This phenomenon associated with the dominance of the left hemisphere of the cerebral cortex, which contains higher think tanks– speech, reading and writing.
OUTLINE. In essence, vision is a means of practical orientation in space. The visual process means "grasping", the rapid awareness of several characteristic features object. (A poorly printed photograph has turned the face into several gray spots, but we recognize it) We can say that the human gaze is, to some extent, an insight into the essence of the subject. And the outline is just one of the essential characteristics of an object, captured and perceived by the human eye. The outline is the boundary of the mass. But here interesting example, we do not see the hidden side of the ball, but we know for sure that the ball is round. What is familiar to us appears as knowledge that is added to direct observation.
Gestalt psychologists believe that any stimulating model is perceived as the simplest, i.e. the object we see consists of a small number of characteristic structural features. And the farther an object is from us, the simpler the shape we see. Upon closer inspection, we begin to see details.
SIMILARITY. When creating any composition, it is necessary to remember the principle of similarity: the more similar the parts of any perceived model are to each other, the more strongly they will unite into a whole. Elements related by similar shape, color, size, etc. tend to be located in the same plane. The similarity creates a strong visual effect, shaping and forming visual models. And what simpler models, resulting in this way, the more striking they are, often breaking the composition or creating a new one.
Further development of the principle of similarity of parts finds its expression in a pattern that deals with the internal similarity of a visually perceived object: when there is a choice between several possibilities for the continuation of curves (and human body, I want to remind you, consists only of them), then preference is given to the one that most consistently preserves internal structure. And yet, the intervals between curved segments are always mentally filled by us and completed to full circle. It has also been proven that the similarity of figures or color spots is expressed not in a strict repetition of the previous one, but in a gradual change in shape. And the viewer's eye, forced to follow this perceptual movement, sees a new form!