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The Impressionists revolutionised colour mixing techniques with several key principles:
Impressionist pages on this site:
Impressionist key principles of colour mixing
1. Optical colour mixing: Instead of physically mixing colours on the palette, they applied unmixed, pure colours directly from the tube in small strokes side-by-side on the canvas, allowing the colours to visually blend or “optically mix” from a distance. This technique is known as “broken colour” or “divisionism”.[1][4]
2. Use of complementary colours: They juxtaposed complementary colours (opposites on the colour wheel like blue and orange) next to each other, which made the colours appear even more intense and vibrant when optically mixed.[1][2]
3. Avoiding blacks and browns: They favored pure, intense hues closer to the colours of the light spectrum like violets, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds mixed with white instead of using blacks or browns.[4]
4. Colourful grays and shadows: Instead of using black for shadows, they incorporated colours like blues, purples, and greens. They also mixed complementary colours to create vibrant, luminous grays that captured atmospheric effects.[1][2]
5. Layering brushstrokes: Rather than physically mixing on the palette, they layered strokes of different colours one over the other, allowing the eye to blend them optically.[1]
6. Thick, opaque paint: They used thick, opaque paint application with visible brushstrokes rather than thin glazes, enhancing the optical colour vibration.[1]
By applying unmixed colours in separate strokes and relying on the human eye to blend them, the Impressionists created a shimmering, luminous effect that revolutionized the depiction of light and atmosphere.
Sources
Sources
[1] Claude Monet and His colour Theory Mastery https://streetartmuseumtours.com/blogs/blog/claude-monet-and-his-colour-theory-mastery
[2] The Impressionists’ Palette: Capturing True Light with colour https://www.malcolmdeweyfineart.com/blog/the-impressionists-palette-capturing-true-light-with-color
[3] Impressionist colour Theory; “Optical Mixing” in Four-colour Printing ... http://www.people.vcu.edu/~djbromle/color-theory/lecture/3.html
[4] Impressionist Art Movement - Masters Of Light And colour https://drawpaintacademy.com/impressionist-art-movement/
[5] Neo-Impressionist colour Theory (article) | Khan Academy https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-garde-france/post-impressionism/a/neo-impressionist-color-theory
How this differed from traditional methods of colour mixing
How this differed from traditional methods of colour mixing
The Impressionists pioneered a revolutionary technique called optical colour mixing, which differed from traditional colour mixing methods in several key ways:
1. Instead of physically mixing colours on the palette, they applied unmixed, pure colours directly from the tube in small strokes side-by-side on the canvas. This allowed the colours to visually blend or “optically mix” from a distance.[1][3]
2. Rather than layering glazes or scumbles, they juxtaposed complementary colours (opposites on the colour wheel like blue and orange) next to each other, which made the colours appear even more intense and vibrant when optically mixed.[1][4]
3. They avoided using blacks, browns, or pre-mixed colours, favoring pure, intense hues closer to the colours of the light spectrum like violets, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds mixed with white.[1][5]
4. They incorporated colours like blues, purples, and greens into their shadows instead of just using black or brown. This captured the coloured effects of light in shadows through optical mixing.[5]
5. They used thick, opaque paint application with visible brushstrokes rather than thin glazes, enhancing the optical colour vibration.[1][2]
By relying on the human eye to blend unmixed colours optically rather than physically mixing them, the Impressionists created a shimmering, luminous effect that revolutionized the depiction of light and atmosphere in a way that traditional mixing techniques could not achieve.
Sources
Sources
[1] Mixing | Optical vs Atomic - Winsor & Newton https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/masterclass/optical-and-atomic-mixing/
[2] Atomic and Optical colour mixing explained | Winsor & Newton ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov7kJQ7WYqI
[3] Optical colour Mixing - The Virtual Instructor https://thevirtualinstructor.com/blog/optical-color-mixing
[4] Optical colour Mixing - Alvalyn Creative Illustration https://alvalyn.com/optical-color-mixing/
[5] How to Mix Oil colours – Optical Mixing Effects - Old Masters Academy https://oldmasters.academy/old-masters-academy-art-lessons/how-to-mix-oil-colours-optical-mixing-effects
The advantage of optical mixing over atomic mixing
The advantage of optical mixing over atomic mixing
The main advantages of optical colour mixing over atomic (physical) colour mixing are:
1. Optical mixes appear more vibrant and radiant compared to atomic mixes, which can look duller.
2. Layering colours optically creates a sense of depth and luminosity in the painting that is difficult to achieve with atomic mixing alone.
3. Optical mixing allows for an element of surprise and experimentation by layering unexpected colour combinations that can produce striking visual effects.
4. colours retain more of their saturation and intensity when optically mixed rather than being physically blended, which can desaturate and dull the hues.
5. Optical mixing captures the coloured effects of light in shadows by layering colours like blues, purples and greens rather than just using black.
6. It enables the creation of complex, luminous grays by layering complementary colours rather than mixing them physically, which can deaden the tones.
7. The visible brushstrokes and layering from optical mixing enhances the vibration and interplay of colours on the canvas.
So in essence, optical mixing allowed the Impressionists to capture the radiant effects of light and atmosphere in a more vivid, luminous way compared to traditional atomic mixing techniques.[1][2]
Sources
Sources
[1] Mixing | Optical vs Atomic - Winsor & Newton https://www.winsornewton.com/uk/masterclass/optical-and-atomic-mixing/
[2] Atomic and Optical colour mixing explained | Winsor & Newton ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov7kJQ7WYqI
[3] Tutorial : Optical and Atomic Mixing - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q68IuoW90Yw
[4] [PDF] X-ray and optical wave mixing - CORE https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/17273638.pdf
[5] Optical colour Mixing - Alvalyn Creative Illustration https://alvalyn.com/optical-color-mixing/
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