Color Theory Key Terms

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms and core concepts of color theory and art foundations along with their page references.

additive color

Color created by mixing rays of light; combining wavelengths adds light, producing white light when all primary additive colors are combined (p. 84).

analogous color scheme

A color scheme that utilizes hues positioned adjacent or next to each other on the color wheel (p. 104).

arbitrary (subjective) color

Color chosen by an artist based on personal, intuitive, or emotional preference rather than objective, natural reality (p. 109).

Bauhaus School

The influential German school of art and design founded in 1919 that integrated art, craft, and technology, developing foundational color theory (p. 83).

chroma

The purity, saturation, or degree of freedom from white, gray, or black in a color (p. 90).

CMYK printing process

A subtractive four-color printing process that combines Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Key (black) inks to produce a full range of colors (p. 85).

color discord

The visual tension or clashing effect produced by combining colors that do not harmonize according to standard color rules (p. 108).

color wheel

A circular arrangement or diagram showing the spectrum of colors and the relationships between primary, secondary, and tertiary hues (p. 83).

complementary color scheme

A color scheme based on pairs of colors situated directly opposite each other on the color wheel (p. 105).

complementary colors

Two colors located directly across from each other on the color wheel that provide the highest visual contrast when juxtaposed (p. 93).

hue

The generic name of a specific color or wavelength of light within the visible spectrum, such as red, blue, or yellow (p. 82).

intensity

The brightness or dullness of a hue, which indicates its purity and saturation (p. 88).

intermediate triad

A group of three intermediate (tertiary) hues positioned equidistant from each other on the color wheel (p. 96).

local color

The objective, true color of an object as seen under normal, diffused, and neutral daylight (p. 108).

monochromatic color scheme

A color harmony based on variations of a single hue, developed using different tints, tones, and shades (p. 103).

neutral colors

Colors devoid of strong chromatic content, including black, white, gray, and occasionally brown (p. 88).

Op Art

A style of visual art (optical art) developed in the 1960s that uses color interaction and optical illusions to produce the perception of movement (p. 87).

optical color

The color perceived by an observer as influenced by specific lighting, reflections, atmosphere, or adjacent hues rather than local color (p. 109).

pigment

A finely ground, insoluble coloring matter that is suspended in a vehicle or binder to create paints and inks (p. 82).

primary additive colors

Red, green, and blue light; the three basic light wavelengths that combine to form white light and cannot be created by mixing other lights (p. 84).

primary pigment colors

The foundational colors in pigment (traditionally red, yellow, and blue) that cannot be produced by mixing any other pigments (p. 83).

primary subtractive colors

Cyan, magenta, and yellow; the primary colors of ink and pigment that subtract light wavelengths and mix to produce darker values (p. 85).

primary triad

A triad formed by the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue) spaced evenly on the color wheel (p. 95).

prism

A transparent optical body that refracts and separates white light into the wavelengths of the visible spectrum (p. 82).

refract

To bend or deflect light rays as they pass obliquely from one transparent medium to another of different optical density (p. 82).

saturation

The vividness, purity, or strength of a hue, determined by its freedom from dilution with white, black, or gray (p. 90).

secondary additive colors

Cyan, magenta, and yellow; colors formed by the combination of two primary additive light colors (p. 84).

secondary pigment colors

Colors produced by mixing two primary pigment colors together, traditionally orange, green, and violet (p. 83).

secondary triad

An equilateral triad composed of the three secondary colors (orange, green, and violet) on the color wheel (p. 96).

shade

A darker variation of a hue produced by the addition of black (p. 89).

split-complementary color scheme

A color scheme composed of one base hue and the two hues immediately adjacent to its direct complement on the color wheel (p. 106).

subtractive color

A color system in which pigments, dyes, or inks absorb (subtract) certain wavelengths of light and reflect others back to the eye (p. 84).

tertiary colors

Colors created by mixing a primary color with an adjacent secondary color, such as red-orange or blue-green (p. 83).

tint

A lighter variation of a hue produced by the addition of white (p. 89).

tone

A variation of a hue produced by the addition of gray or its complement, lowering its intensity (p. 89).

triad

A set of three colors that are spaced equidistant from one another on the color wheel (p. 95).

triadic color scheme

A color scheme organized around three hues situated at equal intervals across the color wheel (p. 107).

value

The relative degree of lightness or darkness of a hue, tone, or neutral surface (p. 88).

visible spectrum

The narrow band of electromagnetic radiation wavelengths perceivable by the human eye, displaying as a spectrum of colors (p. 82).