colors are visual perceptions through the cone cells of the eyes, which transmit impressions to the optic nerve that go directly to the nervous system.
Color has to do with the eyes, with the retina and with the information present in the brain. It is the impression produced on the retina of the eye by light after it is emitted, diffused or reflected by objects. Therefore, we say that objects have no color, as color corresponds to an internal sensation that is caused by physical stimuli from nature.
When light falls on an object, it will absorb and reflect the different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum. The color that the object presents coincides with the wavelengths that are reflected and thus visible to the human eye.
A color cannot be defined as an isolated entity, because the perception we have of a certain color can change when it is close to another color that is complementary to it. For example, the same shade of red appears more intense when it is in contrast to green (its complementary color) than when it is next to orange.
Learn more about complementary colors.
Color has a lot to do with lighting and, with the time of day, when we are used to a certain color, our brain will automatically correct this color for the existing color. Although radiation changes, the human mind recognizes the patterns in perceptual stimuli.
THE colorimetry it is the science that studies the quantification of color, the hue, the saturation that shows whether the color is natural or artificially pigmented, and the intensity of the color that is characterized by its strength. This science is related to the various aspects of color in various areas, such as: lighting, painting, graphic arts, architecture, cinema, etc.
In antiquity, several thinkers, such as Aristotle and Plato, made several hypotheses related to the color and nature of light. Later, Isaac Newton was the first to identify color spectra and to formulate a scientific theory about it. Newton experimented with white light falling on a prism, which decomposed into rainbow colors.
Learn more about the meaning of color theory.
The different colors have psychological effects, for example, red stimulates and blue soothes, and can even change blood pressure. For this reason, chromotherapy was created, used in various contexts today.
Because they have an effect on people, colors are used frequently in the world of advertising and marketing. Some restaurants from fast food they adopt bright colors in their decoration, as they stimulate their customers, making them eat and quickly leave the restaurant, making room for new customers.
Learn more about Color Psychology and the Chromotherapy.
Hot and cold colors
Warm colors are those that convey a feeling of heat, such as the Red it's the Orange, which also give a feeling of closeness. On the other hand, cool colors like the blue and Violet, give an impression of depth.
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Primary, secondary and tertiary colors
The primary colors are the Red, yellow and blue, and are considered the "pure colors". Secondary colors are formed by mixing two primary colors, giving rise to the green, O purple it's the Orange.
The color tertiary institutions are formed by mixing a primary color with one or two secondary colors, that is, the tertiary ones are all other colors. Neutral colors have little reflection, they are mostly used as a complement to another color. Among the neutrals we have gray and brown tones, which in lighter tones are called beige.
White is colorless light and black is colorlessness. If we rotate the color wheel vehemently we will see that the colors will disappear and it will appear totally white.
See also the meaning of the Primary colors, of the Secondary colors, of the tertiary colors and of the Neutral colors.
Learn more about the meaning of Colors.