Mizette Putallaz · Catalogue 2007

Harmony.

Mizette Putallaz’s complete text on colour — transcribed from the catalogue Half a century of painting, Le Manoir, Martigny, 2007.

In everyday life, one does not play an out-of-tune piano — yet when speaking of colour one generally ignores the laws that govern its harmony. Knowledge of these laws is essential to the cultivation of taste.

The familiar phrase — tastes and colours… — reveals the absence of a precise science of colour harmony. Recent studies have shown that harmony and aesthetics are quite distinct. Harmony depends on a balance of proportion and a symmetry of forces.

01The harmony of colour

Rekindled whiteness, 1991 — Rekindled whiteness · 1991

A science of colour rests on four factors :

Measurement and classification belong to the physicist, studying the energy of electromagnetic vibrations and the nature of light corpuscles.
The chemistry of pigments studies their molecular structure, conservation and light resistance.
The physiologist examines colour’s action on the body — sensations stirred by warm or cold, light or dark tones.
The psychologist studies the radiance of colour on the unconscious and the mind.

In the realm of colour, optical, psychic, intellectual and symbolic phenomena are intimately linked.

02The great discoveries

Abstrait géométrique – Fusion, 1992 — Abstrait géométrique · Fusion · 1992

Nature is colourless but crossed by an infinity of varied waves. Wavelengths of light visible to the eye range from 0.41 to 0.81 thousandths of a millimetre.

In 1676, Isaac Newton passed a beam of white light through a glass prism. Rays of different colours emerged. Caught on a screen they formed a band of seven colours : red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. The ratio between red and violet vibrations is around 1:2 — that of the octave. Colours are often compared to musical notes.

In 1792, Wolfgang Goethe revisited this experiment by contemplating a ceramic shard at the bottom of a clear pool: he discovered that colour, beyond its hue, possesses a degree of lightness or darkness. Thomas Yung (1772-1829) would discover additive synthesis, used in cinema, television and photography.

03Harmony of colour

Most often, laypeople consider harmonious those colour assemblies of analogous character or equal value. Harmony is made of two agreeing colours — when there is dissonance, the addition of a third can turn the clash into harmony.

This sensation comes from balance: when the dimensions of observed surfaces allow between two colours a complete neutralisation.

The study of the physiological process made it possible to establish colour harmony as a physical law. Chevreul (1786-1889), chemist and director of the Gobelins manufactures, discovered successive or simultaneous contrast: the eye’s capacity to restore the complementary colour of a given colour — restoring the balance of white light.

04The vocabulary of colour

Pigment mixtures come at the cost of intensity and luminous purity. Colours can be modified in three ways — graded, knocked back or broken :

Graded by adding white in varying quantities. White, being opaque, alters the colour’s intensity.
Knocked back by adding black. Black absorbs the colour and darkens it.
Broken by adding any other colour. Harmony can also be modified by simultaneous contrast: “the burning sky of a sunset tints the mountain shadow violet.”

An old teacher used to say : “Never dull a colour — it is like a flower. Keep brushing it with your finger and there is no velvet left, no charm left!”

05Spatial effect

Triptyque — Égyptiennes, 1985 — Triptyque · Égyptiennes · 1985

Colour’s spatial effect is relative — it can arise from crossings and diagonals. Place the solar spectrum side by side and yellow seems to come forward while violet appears to recede.

Abstract art, the revolution of the early 20^th century, studied colour extensively. We discovered that fundamental colours on a black background produce depth effects matching the golden ratio. The spatial effect of colour is widely used in urban planning — through colour we can make objects appear more distant or closer, larger when too small, smaller when too large.

06The symbolism of colour

The poet's passage, 1990 — The poet’s passage · 1990

To optical, electromagnetic and chemical processes there often correspond symmetrical processes in the region of the soul. To convey the psychic and spiritual expression of each colour, we must compare them :

Yellow, the most luminous, corresponds to intelligence. Dulled, it expresses envy, treachery, doubt.
Red. Our ancestors dusted their dead with red ochre — for the vitality of the long journey to the beyond. Under Mars, it is the colour of combative passions.
Crimson, colour of cardinals, unites temporal and spiritual power. Light red: life, motherhood.
Blue, spiritual, dematerialises. Force turned inwards. The synthesis of night to us — a symbol of eternity to the Chinese.
Green, the intermediate colour between yellow and blue — colour of the vegetable world, of fertility, satisfaction, rest, hope. The union of science and faith.
Orange, blend of yellow and red, sits at the crux of the most intense radiations. Solar luminosity. Pompous orange expresses pride and outward luxury.
Violet, colour of ignorant piety. Darkened: superstition. Tinted with red: solitude, devotion.
White, the sum of all light rays, symbol of purity. Black, absence of colour, colour of mourning and death.

07Physiological and sensory action of colour

Colour acts on every human being. It can produce a tactile sensation — a vivid impression of coolness or warmth. There are factories where the walls are painted in different shades of blue.

Colourists and industrial leaders have noted these sensations for interior decoration, for better output, for optimising wellbeing and work. Offices and factories are undergoing a real revolution born of the scientific use of colour.

The laws of colour are an excellent means of human culture — they gather unconscious sensations, intuitive thoughts and positive science. Mizette Putallaz

Original document

The catalogue pages.

Reproduction of three double-pages from Half a century of painting. Click to enlarge.

Page 110-111 — Harmony of colour · The great discoveries.

pp. 110-111 · Harmony of colour · The great discoveries

Page 112-113 — Harmony of colour · The vocabulary of colour.

pp. 112-113 · Harmony of colour · The vocabulary of colour

Page 114-115 — Spatial effect · Symbolism · Physiological action.

pp. 114-115 · Spatial effect · Symbolism · Physiological & sensory action