ABSTRACT
Color theory from the artist’s point of view is based on subtractive color perception. The full-color spectrum that is present in white light will reveal one color on a surface while all the others are absorbed—thus subtracting all the colors not present on the surface that we are viewing. The English mathematician and physicist Sir Isaac Newton is well known for his laws of motion and gravity. He also observed the subtractive properties of white light and the color spectrum. His book on the subject, Opticks, was published in 1704. The book included a study of light refraction along with color mixtures in the spectrum and he organized his findings into a color wheel. In order to be able to talk intelligently about color and to approach the problem in an organized way, it is convenient to know the terms usually used to designate the characteristics of color—hue, intensity, and value.
