Colour Theory: Properties Of Colour

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Colour Theory: Properties of Colour HUE The property of light that allows objects to be seen as red, blue or green. Hues are considered pure colours as they are not mixed with black or white pigments which would make them shades or tints. There are six hues, namely red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue or violet. Variations of this spectrum may be the seven colours of the visible light spectrum. (Cotnoir, 2012) COLOUR Colour is what is seen when light waves are reflected off a particular material at various frequencies which is then detected by the human eye, of which, the eye is sensitive to reds blues and greens. Colour is said to comprise hue (the root colour), value (light and dark) and saturation (brightness and dullness). (Work With Colour, 2013) TONE / VALUE Tone or Value refers to how light or dark a hue is. The darker a colour is, the lower it’s value, and the lighter a colour is – tending closer towards white – the higher the value is. (Work With Colour, 2013) In composition, values are important to show depth and perception. For example. In the basic composition of an artwork. Objects in the foreground will have darker tones, or lower values. Objects in the middle ground will have middle values, also known as mid-tones, and the background will consist of higher value and lighter tones. (Cotnoir, 2012) Tint When a hue is mixed with white in order to create a lighter colour. The converse is called a shade, when the hue is mixed with black or dark pigments in order to make the colour darker. (Work With Colour, 2013) SATURATION/INTENSITY Saturation can be seen as the intensity or brightness of a colour. It ranges from its pure colour (hue), which would be fully saturated, to grey. (Cotnoir, 2012) ... ... middle of paper ... ... Motif A motif is an element or theme that is recurrent within an artwork. With regards to Kentridge, he often has an aspect of his videos or artworks that appears over again throughout the art piece. Style Refers to the particular way which something is done. Kentridges style is very personalised and is unique to him. He makes use of erasure and palimpsest. Repetition and recurring themes play a significant role in his artworks and animations. Repetition The repetition of an image can be used to create emphasis or lead the eye. Kentridge uses repetition in his artworks by repeating images. Repetition is also created with his use of erasure, the constant erasing and redrawing leaves traces of the original image and with each erasure, bits of the image below is repeated. He uses this to create an effect and to show movement and transformation. (Kucera, 2003)

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