Color Abstraction CONCEPTS

At its core, abstraction is about decoupling form and color. 

To begin, let's look at the color spectrum and how we see the range of the optical spectrum.

Colors are made of a continuous distribution of wavelengths of electromagnetic waves. We have divided the spectrum based on our biological sensitivity into RED-BLUE-GREEN (channels). CIE offers a more complex spectrum in 2 dimensions that is used for color matching. As we move towards the edge of the curve, colors become saturated and can be represented by one frequency. Secondary and tertiary colors are hues created by combining two or three channels. Our eyes can see much more than the typical three-color displays, such as computer screens, mobile phones, or color prints. Thus, a photo is never a match for the original.

Certain colors are seen more easily than others because of the mapping process in our brains. 

Our brain has mapped shapes and colors in our infancy as survival need. Once a shape is recognized, we ignore the colors to save brain work.

Color abstraction seeks to challenge such complacency by causing the viewer to see both color and form, thereby enhancing the contents. The viewer must reconstruct the image from scratch due to the increased emphasis on color and fudged outlines.

This painting of pines depicts blue trees and yellow grass and transforms the impression of the landscape. Our brain is less sensitive to these colors, which makes the viewer dig deeper.

Another example of form dominance in our brains is a painting of a red sky and water with a couple of pinkish sails. We quickly recognize the boats and construct the landscape, but it is the color that makes us curious about them.

The third illustration shows a typical countryside with gray-yellow trees. An otherwise dull sight can be given life by color.