We interact with colors every day - choosing the palette of a new interior, the color of a dress, the tone of makeup or nail polish, we are looking for a shade that suits the setting or atmosphere. In trade pavilions, without suspecting it, we give preference to one or another product, primarily referring to its color.
One of the founders of the "doctrine of color", the person who explained the color preferences of people from the point of view of psychology, is the famous philosopher and poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The color wheel, proposed by him in the 19th century, as the basis of the theory of color harmony, despite the lack of recognition from his contemporaries, is actively used today.
Identity of color concept creator
Goethe Johann Wolfgang was born in 1748 in the German trading city of Frankfurt am Main. This is one of the most prominent philosophers and poets of the late XVIII - early XIX century. However, few people know that Johann Wolfgang was also a natural scientist - he collecteda significant collection of minerals, one of them was named after him - goethite, and was also honored to perpetuate his name in the name of one of the craters on the planet Mercury.
One of the main achievements of this man in the field of natural sciences is the “Goethe color circle” - the doctrine of color and its combinations, published in 1810 in the book “On the Theory of Color” (German Zur Farbenlehre). In it, the scientist outlined his subjective view of the nature of color, and also revealed questions regarding human light perception. This theory ran counter to the prevailing physical theory of the nature of color at that time, and therefore was not taken seriously by contemporaries. However, Johann Wolfgang did not attempt to explain this phenomenon from the point of view of physics. Most of all he was worried about the question: “What feelings and emotions does this or that color evoke in a person?”
Theories about the nature of color
In the modern world, there are two approaches to determining the nature of color:
- In the framework of the first approach, which adherents are representatives of the exact sciences, color is nothing more than a reaction of the human eye to the wavelength of light. This approach can also be called the "approach of human subjectivism", in which each person sees color in his own way.
- In the framework of the second approach, the second name of which is "Goethe's color circle", color is considered as a substance objectively existing in nature.
Philosophical reflections on the structure of the world led Goethe to an opinion aboutreality of the existence of color in nature. After that, the scientist decided to consider each of them from the point of view of psychology and determine the degree of its influence on the human brain.
However, to say that Johann Goethe's color wheel is a true philosophical doctrine is fundamentally wrong. Initially, the palette consisted of 6 colors, and in the 19th century it was expanded to 24 units by the German physicist Wilhelm Oswald.
Color palette
People who work with colors and select harmonious shades use Goethe's color wheel.
- The main colors of the circle are red, blue and yellow. Their distinctive feature is that they cannot be obtained by mixing other colors and exist on their own.
- Orange, green and purple are second order colors. They are obtained by mixing basic units
- Next are third-order colors, created by mixing a primary and secondary color.
Each of them is an energy clot that causes certain emotions in people.
Goethe's color wheel: photo
There are 2 types of circle.
1. Palette of 6 colors.
2. A palette of 24 colors.
Color temperament
In the process of empirical research, it was found that the subjective sensations of a person change by 3-4 degrees depending on the color of the walls of the room. In this regard, Johann Wolfgang set the temperament for each color depending on its "temperature" on the "warm - cold" scale.
- Goethe classified yellow and orange colors as “positive”, because when looking at them, a person rejoices, acquires rainbow emotions.
- Blue and purple - to negative. Rooms filled with the indicated color are cold and empty.
- Pure red and green scientists ranked as neutral.
When you add one or another shade, the color characteristic changes to positive, negative or neutral.
Combination order
Fashion designers, stylists and make-up artists - all people working with flowers use the Goethe color wheel in their practice and are guided by the following rules:
Rule number 1. Colors that lie opposite each other are best combined. they are also called complementary. For example, purple and yellow complement each other and enhance each other.
Rule number 2. The colors located at the tops of one of the triangles are harmonious. For example, blue, purple and green. This rule is also called "three-color harmony".
Rule number 3. The colors located on the tops of the square are harmonious. For example, blue, purple, yellow and orange. This rule is also called "color complement".
Rule number 4. Colors located side by side on the color wheel blend well with each other. They are called analog. Usually one of them is taken as a basis, and the second acts as a supplement for placing accents.
Rule number 5. Shades located on the same vertex of the triangle can be combined in any quantity. Goethe's modern color wheel has 24 vertices. The color of each of them can be decomposed into dozens of shades and used in work or creativity.
Rule number 6. Neutral colors can be combined with each other in any quantity. These include: white, brown, gray, black.
The color concept of the circle in the modern world
Science does not stand still, including the colorist. The modern RGB color model is based on a concept that was created in the early 19th century by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Goethe's color wheel for 2 centuries was increased to 24 colors thanks to the research of Itten and Oswald and formed the basis of the modern color concept. As before, the main colors are red, blue and green - the modern RGB model (Red, Grey, Blue). However, now it is represented not by independent colors, but by a gradient circle.
Color plays a huge role in our lives, and certain shades have become household names in the modern world. For example, red symbolizes dangers and mistakes, while green, on the contrary, is a call to action. These are the unwritten rules that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe introduced into our lives. The color wheel he created at the beginning of the 19th century was increased by 18 colors over the following centuries - from 6 to 24. However, the concept of color, created by him on the basis of human psychological preferences, despite the lack of scientific validity, is extremely effectively used in the 21st century, becoming the basis for modern colormodels.
