3. Grey, Red, Grey, Yellow, Grey, &c. Although Grey combines well with Red and Yellow, it has not an effect so decidedly advantageous as Black has in the binary assortment. Red and Blue. (226.) 1. Red, Blue, &c. 2. Grey, Red, Blue, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Red, Grey, Blue, Grey, &c. The assortment 2 is preferable to 3; I dare not say to the first. The effect of Grey is inferior to that of White. Red and Violet. (227.) 1. Red, Violet, &c. 2. Grey, Red, Violet, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Red, Grey, Violet, Grey, &c. The assortment 3 appears to me superior to 2, and the second to the first; but it is difficult to say if Grey is superior to Black; I am certain it is inferior to White. Orange and Yellow. (228.) 1. Orange, Yellow, &c. 2. Grey, Orange, Yellow, Grey, &c. The assortment 3 appears to me preferable to the assortment 2; the harmony of contrast is less intense than with Black. The assortment 3 is perhaps superior to the assortment of White, Orange, White, Yellow, White. Orange and Green. (229.) 1. Orange, Green, &c. 2. Grey, Orange, Green, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Orange, Grey, Green, Grey, &c. Grey combines well with Orange and Green, but it does not contrast so agreeably as Black or White. Orange and Violet. (230.) 1. Orange, Violet, &c. 2. Grey, Orange, Violet, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Orange, Grey, Violet, Grey, &c. The binary assortment appears to me preferable to the other two. The assortment 2 is preferable to 3. If the Grey is a little dull with Orange and Violet, it has not the same inconvenience as Black in causing too great a predominance of sombre colours. Yellow and Green. (231.) 1. Fellow, Green, &c. 2. Grey, Yellow, Green, Grey, &c. Grey allies well with Yellow and Green; but the assortments 2 and 3 are a little dull, and inferior to those in which Black replaces Grey. Yellow and Blue. (232.) 1. Yellow, Blue, &c. 2. Grey, Yellow, Blue, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Yellow, Grey, Blue, Grey, &c. The two assortments 2 and 3 are inferior to the 1st. The Grey is heavy with Yellow and Blue; its effect then is inferior to that of White, and perhaps also to that of Black. Green and Blue. (233.) 1. Green, Blue, &c. 2. Grey, Green, Blue, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Green, Grey, Blue, Grey, &c. Grey, in its association with Green and Blue, has not the same objection as Black, but it has an inferior effect to White. Green and Violet. (234.) 1. Green, Violet, &c. 2. Grey, Green, Violet, Grey, &c. 3. Grey, Green, Grey, Violet, Grey, &c. Grey is not employed advantageously with Green and Violet; it is inferior to White in ternary assortments, and perhaps I should even give preference to Black. Blue and Violet. (235.) 1. Blue, Violet, &c. 2. Grey, Blue, Violet, Grey, &c. The remarks made (218.) on the assortment of Black with Blue and Violet are applicable to the assortment with Grey, taking into account, to a certain extent, the difference of tone which exists between Grey and Black. RECAPITULATION OF THE PRECEDING OBSERVATIONS. (236.) I will now give a summary of the observations which appear the most striking on reading the foregoing paragraphs, premising, however, that I do not pretend to establish rules based upon scientific principles, but to enounce general propositions, which express my own peculiar ideas. 1st PROPOSITION. (237.) In the Harmony of Contrast the complementary assortment is superior to every other. The tones must be, as nearly as possible, of the same height, in order to produce the finest effect. The complementary assortment in which White associates most advantageously is that of Blue and Orange, and the reverse is that of Yellow and Violet. 2nd PROPOSITION. (238.) The primaries Red, Yellow, and Blue, associated in pairs, will assort better together as a harmony of contrast than an arrangement formed of one of these primaries and of a binary colour, the primary of which may be regarded as one of the elements of the binary colour in juxtaposition with it. Examples. Red and Yellow accord better than Red and Orange. Red and Blue Yellow and Red Red and Violet. Yellow and Blue Yellow and Green. Blue and Red (239.) The assortment of Red, Yellow, or Blue, with a binary colour, which may be regarded as containing the former, contrasts the better, as the simple colour is essentially more luminous than the binary. Whence it follows that in this arrangement it is an advantage for the Red, Yellow, or Blue, to be lower in tone than the binary colour. Examples. Red and Violet accord better than Blue and Violet. (240.) When two colours are bad together, it is always advantageous to separate them by White. In this case we know that it is more advantageous to place White between each colour than in an assortment where the two colours are together between White. 5th PROPOSITION. (241.) Black_never produces a bad effect when it is associated with two luminous colours. It is therefore often preferable to White, especially in an assortment where it separates the colours from each other. Black with all these binary assortments produces harmony of contrast. 6th PROPOSITION. (242.) Black, in association with sombre colours, such as Blue and Violet, and with broken tones of luminous colours, produces harmony of analogy, which in many instances may have a good effect. The harmony of analogy of Black associated with Blue and Violet, is preferable to the harmony of contrast of the assortment White, Blue, Violet, White, &c., the latter being too crude. 7th PROPOSITION. (243.) Black does not associate so well with two colours, one of which is luminous, the other sombre, as when it is associated with two luminous colours. In the first instance the association is much less agreeable in proportion as the luminous colour is more brilliant. Examples. With all the following assortments Black is inferior to White. 1. Red and Blue. 7. Green and Violet. With the assortment Yellow and Violet, if it is not inferior to White, it never produces anything but a mediocre effect in its associations. |