John Paul Caponigro:
If You Can See It, It’s Color
Are black, gray and white colors? At its most basic, color is our visual response to the world. Simply put, if you can see it, it’s color. Neutrals (hues without saturation) are colors — very specific colors. And we’ve found specific uses for them.
To truly understand color, you need to understand neutrals.
Neutrals are key for photographic color adjustment. When they are rendered truly neutral the local color of an object (separate from environmental influence) is revealed. Photographers use precisely defined neutral colors, such as gray cards, to establish known targets for color adjustment strategies designed to accurately reproduce the appearance of objects.
Neutrals can be used to create compelling visual relationships. When found in combination with one another, closely matched semi-neutrals provide a quiet scintillating variety. They can even create the appearance of iridescence and pearlescence, an optical effect that gives colors a more luminous appearance - they seem to glow or sparkle.
Like sound, color often evokes strong emotional reactions in us. Semi-neutrals affect us in subtler ways than fully saturated colors. The ways they move us are often delicate, nuanced and at times highly complex.
Matisse said, “Black is the queen of colors.” Perhaps white is the king? Does that make grays princes and princesses?
