John Paul Caponigro:
If You Can See It, It’s Colour
Are black, gray and white colours? At its most basic, colour is our visual response to the world. Simply put, if you can see it, it’s colour. Neutrals (hues without saturation) are colours — very specific colours. And we’ve found specific uses for them.
To truly understand colour, you need to understand neutrals.
Neutrals are key for photographic colour adjustment. When they are rendered truly neutral the local colour of an object (separate from environmental influence) is revealed. Photographers use precisely defined neutral colours, such as grey cards, to establish known targets for colour 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 colours a more luminous appearance — they seem to glow or sparkle.
Like sound, colour often evokes strong emotional reactions in us. Semi-neutrals affect us in subtler ways than fully saturated colours. The ways they move us are often delicate, nuanced and at times highly complex.
Matisse said, “Black is the queen of colours”. Perhaps white is the king? Does that make greys princes and princesses?
