The perception of colour is relative as the placement of one colour next to another will affect the quality of the other. When we learn to see past this illusion, we can then directly perceive what is before us rather than interpret it.
Colour is described in four qualities.
- Chroma – purity of colour, that being the ratio of pure colour luminance to the luminance of a white surface under the same illumination.
- Saturation – intensity of colour, that being the ratio of pure colour luminance to the luminance of a gray surface of equal value under the same illumination.
- Hue – where along the colour spectrum the colour lies.
- Value – how light or dark a colour is.
The difference between Chroma and Saturation can be understood like this: high chroma colours cannot be dark, but high saturation colours can be.
over-saturated colours burn the eyes, desaturated areas give the eyes a rest, interplay of both, emphasis is more on desaturation which produces either more pastel or muddy colours, the difference of higher saturation colours laced next to them will be perceived as greater.
saturation can set the mood or composition
Colour Harmonies
Monochromatic
Leonardo Davinci’s observations that the surface of every object partakes of the colour of the adjacent object.[36] This means that no object is ever seen entirely in its natural colour.