Colors are an important part of art. They can convey emotions, set a mood, and draw attention to certain elements. But not all colors are created equal. Some are considered primary colors, while others are secondary colors.
What are primary colors?
The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. They are called primary because they cannot be created by mixing other colors together. Instead, other colors are formed by mixing the primary colors.
Here’s a quick overview of the characteristics of the 3 primary colors:
- Red – Associated with passion, excitement, danger, and love. Red draws attention and stimulates appetite.
- Yellow – Associated with happiness, optimism, and warmth. Yellow is energetic and uplifting.
- Blue – Associated with tranquility, calmness, and stability. Blue is often described as peaceful and cool.
When looking at paintings, primary colors will stand out and catch the viewer’s attention. They form the basic building blocks that allow artists to create a wide range of hues.
Where do primary colors come from?
The primary colors come from light. More specifically, they correspond with the three types of cones (color-sensitive cells) in our eyes that detect different wavelengths of light.
The cones are stimulated by:
- Red light – 700 nm wavelength
- Green light – 546 nm wavelength
- Blue light – 435 nm wavelength
When you look at a red object, the red cones in your eyes are stimulated. The same goes for blue and green objects. All other colors are seen by stimulating multiple cone types at once.
This is why red, yellow and blue are called the primary colors. You cannot stimulate the cones using any other single wavelength of light. The primary colors provide the basis for the trichromatic color vision of humans.
The RYB primary color model
The traditional primary colors used by artists are red, yellow and blue. This is known as the RYB color model. It’s based on pigments that are used in paints and other media.
The primary pigments are:
- Cadmium red
- Cadmium yellow
- Ultramarine blue
When working with pigments, cyan, magenta and yellow are sometimes used as the primary colors instead of RYB. This is known as the CMYK model. It is used in color printing.
Regardless of which primary pigments are chosen, all other colors can be created by mixing the primaries. This gives artists a wide palette to work with.
What are secondary colors?
Secondary colors are created by mixing two primary colors together in equal amounts. The secondary colors are:
- Orange
- Green
- Purple
On the traditional RYB color wheel, the secondary colors are made by mixing:
- Red + Yellow = Orange
- Yellow + Blue = Green
- Blue + Red = Purple
Secondary colors are not as vibrant as the primaries. They are subtler and not as attention-grabbing. Secondaries convey a less intense mood than primaries.
Tertiary colors
Tertiary colors are made by mixing a primary and secondary color. Some examples include:
- Red-orange
- Yellow-orange
- Yellow-green
- Blue-green
- Blue-purple
- Red-purple
There are also many more subtle variations that can be made by adjusting the ratios of the mixed colors.
Complementary colors
Complementary colors are pairs of colors that appear opposite each other on the color wheel. The most common complementary pairs are:
- Red and green
- Yellow and purple
- Blue and orange
When placed side-by-side, complementary colors create strong contrast and high impact. They make each other appear more vibrant when used together.
Color properties
In addition to their relationships on the color wheel, all colors have certain characteristics:
| Color | Properties |
|---|---|
| Red | Exciting, passionate, aggressive |
| Yellow | Happy, energetic, warm |
| Blue | Calm, peaceful, cool |
| Orange | Fun, playful, vibrant |
| Green | Natural, stable, healthy |
| Purple | Royal, mystic, elegant |
These properties influence how colors are perceived. Cool blues and greens are more relaxing, while warm reds, oranges and yellows are energetic. Artists carefully choose colors to create an intended mood in their work.
Color schemes
Understanding primary and secondary colors allows artists to create coordinated color schemes. Some examples of color schemes include:
- Monochromatic – Different shades and tints of one color
- Analogous – Colors located side-by-side on the color wheel
- Complementary – Opposite colors on the wheel
- Triadic – Three colors equally spaced around the wheel
Color schemes create visually harmonious compositions. The colors enhance each other when used together. Schemes provide unity and prevent compositions from appearing jarring or disjointed.
Warm and cool colors
Colors are also classified as being either warm or cool. This distinction comes from how different hues relate to red and blue:
- Warm colors – Reds, oranges, yellows
- Cool colors – Blues, greens, purples
Warm colors appear energetic and active. They advance visually and pull the viewer in. Cool colors appear more serene and calm. They recede visually and create distance.
Using warm and cool colors is an important depth cue for artists. Warm foregrounds come forward while cool backgrounds recede into space.
Significance of the primary triad
The primary triad of red, yellow and blue forms the basis for virtually all color interactions. Understanding primaries allows artists to make intentional choices with color mixing and schemes.
With the primary palette, all other hues can be created. This is incredibly important for painting. Printers also rely on mixing cyan, magenta and yellow primaries to generate color images.
Primaries are indispensable for design. No software filters or tools could function without building up from the primary color wavelengths. All digital color revolves around mixing RGB or CMY pixels.
Even natural pigments like chlorophyll and hemoglobin derive their hues from absorbing certain parts of the primary light spectrum. Primaries are truly elemental building blocks of color.
Why primacy matters
Without primacy, colors would have no relationships. Random colors mixed together would only produce muddiness and confusion.
Primaries give order and structure to color interaction. We can predict how colors mix based on their placement around the color wheel. Color schemes are planned using spaces between primaries.
Primaries also allow colors to exist in balance. Complementary colors prevent single hues from becoming overwhelming. Triadic and tetradic schemes maintain visual equilibrium.
Most importantly, primacy gives colors meaning. Reds, blues and yellows have symbolism rooted in human psychology and culture. Primaries form an intuitive part of how we interpret art.
Historical primary color theory
The concept of primary colors dates back hundreds of years:
- 1672 – Isaac Newton demonstrates that sunlight is made up of red, yellow and blue rays
- 1802 – Thomas Young expands on color theory by adding green, orange and purple as secondaries
- 1810 – Goethe publishes Theory of Colours, proposing six primary colors linked in polar opposites
- 1860s – James Clerk Maxwell proves Young’s theory of color vision using red, green and blue as primaries
These discoveries led to the color models used by artists today. They revealed that all colors derive from three primaries, and mix in systematic ways.
Modern color theory has become more precise with models like CIELAB that plot relationships between hues. But the root primaries remain red, blue and yellow/green.
Primaries in human culture
Beyond their scientific basis, primary colors have symbolic meaning in cultures worldwide:
- Red symbolizes passion, danger, anger, romance
- Blue symbolizes calm, stability, wisdom, confidence
- Yellow symbolizes joy, optimism, idealism
These associations are used widely in flags, commercial branding, political imagery, and religious symbolism.
Research shows babies respond positively to primary colors more than secondaries. Primaries also leave the strongest imprints in our memories and visual cognition.
Marketing campaigns leverage the primal appeal of primary colors. Fast food, toys, technology, and children’s brands often feature reds, blues and yellows.
How primaries create emotion in art
Great artists intuitively relied on the power of primary colors to move their audiences:
- Vincent Van Gogh – Used vivid yellows to convey emotion and symbolize happiness
- Henri Matisse – Employed bright pure colors with high contrast to create visual vibrancy
- Wassily Kandinsky – Believed primary colors elicited fundamental human emotions
- Piet Mondrian – Restricted his palette to primaries for symbolic purity and energy
From the ornate halls of the Sistine Chapel to the daring canvases of abstract expressionism, primacy remains an iconic tool for human expression.
Conclusion
Primary colors form the foundation of art and design. Through controlled mixing, primaries generate endless hues and harmonious color schemes. Primaries are more than mixtures of wavelengths and pigments – they allow us to communicate meaning beyond words. Truly understanding color starts with the red, yellow and blue basis of our visual world.
