Concept · Color in Painting
Color and Space
Atmospheric perspective, also called aerial perspective, shows depth by painting distant things lighter, bluer and lower in contrast than near ones.
Air scatters short-wavelength blue light more than other colors, so far-off dark forms take on a bluish cast. Thick haze from moisture or dust whitens the distance instead. Hue can also push a flat shape forward or back: on black, most viewers see red as nearer than blue, though some see the reverse.
- Compare a distant ridge with the sky behind it; the value gap narrows as distance grows.
- Landscape painters keep their darkest darks and sharpest edges in front and veil the background.
- That red-blue effect is weaker on a white ground and tends to reverse, so it depends on the setting.
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