Three bars, each split between two complementary colors in the proportions 1:3, 1:2 and 1:1.

Concept · Relationships

Contrast of Extension

Here the contrast is one of area: a small patch of one color can balance a much larger field of another.

Light, strong colors need less room than dark ones to make an equal impression. Itten set area ratios for the complement pairs from rough estimates of how strongly each hue acts on the eye. He credited Goethe, but the figures appear to go back to Schopenhauer's 1816 essay on color.

  • Ask which color claims the most area, and which small patch still catches the eye.
  • Painters often break the balance on purpose: a small, strong accent in a wide field becomes the focus.
  • The ratios assume full-strength hues; dull a color or change its lightness and the balance shifts.

See

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