lO 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



The author has made many experiments to settle this question, and in 

 rig. 12 gives his result in the form of a diagram. 



From the foregoing, then, it is evident that the effect of contrast may 

 be helpful or harmful ; by it colors may be made to look more beauti- 

 ful and precious, or they may damage each other and appear dull, pale, 

 or even dirty. When the apparent saturation is increased, we have 

 the first effect ; the second, when it is diminished. Our diagram (Fig. 

 11) shows that the saturation is diminished when the contrasting colors 

 are situated near each other in the chromatic circle, and increased when 

 the reverse is true. It might be supposed that we could easily over- 



FlG. 12.— CONTRAST-DlAGHAM, ACCOKDING TO O. N. EoOD. 



come the damaging effects of harmful contrast by simply making the 

 colors themselves from the start somewhat more brilliant ; this, how- 

 ever, is far from being true. The pleasure due to helpful contrast is 

 not merely owing to the fact that the colors appear brilliant or satu- 

 rated, but that they have been so disposed and provided with such 

 companions that thej^ are made to glow with more than their natural bril- 

 liancy. Then they strike us as precious and delicious, and this is true 

 even when the actual tints are such as we would call poor or dull in 

 isolation. From this it follows that paintings made up almost entirely 

 of tints that by themselves seem modest and far from brilliant, often 

 strike us as being rich and gorgeous in color ; while on the other hand 

 the most gaudy colors can easily be arranged so as to produce a de- 

 pressing effect on the beholder. We shall see hereafter that, in making 



