Question: Why do some paintings appear to sparkle?
Choice A: Artist has snuck glitter into the paint hoping you won't notice
Choice B: Artist has applied the theory of adjacent complementary colors
Choice C: Artist has modified your eyes as you sleep in a bizarre attempt to change your vision
Answer: If you chose "B", congratulations, you are right!
You've probably seen this phenomenon in action in a science or psychology textbook- stare at a yellow object and you will see a purple afterimage. Stare at a blue object and you will see an orange afterimage. Stare at a red object, a green afterimage appears. Click here to try it and learn about rods, cones, photoreceptors, and the psychology of how our eyes handle adjacent complementary colors
It's science!
Artists understand this optical principle and will employ the scientific principles of how the human eye works to their advantage to create a sense of excitement in their artwork. When 2 color complements are placed adjacently, they create an optical pop or sparkle. Paintings which incorporate adjacent complementary color theory will excite the human eye.
"Sunflower VI" 36"x48" Oil on Cotton Canvas copyright 2009 Dena Tollefson
I oftentimes use this technique of strategically placing adjacent color complements in my work. For example, in the painting "Sunflower VI" above, I lay strokes of orange & blue and strokes of yellow & purple directly next to one another throughout the whole painting to
1. Add sparkle to the painting and
2. To draw the viewer's eye across the top of the painting and to the curving focal point where the dark seedhead meets the swirling petals.
Next time you view a painting which seems to sparkle at you, check to see if the artist has employed the technique of strategically placing adjacent complementary colors!
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