Optical Red

[Allan Rahbek]

Originally Posted by Chuck Yokota

So, if optical red creates the illusion of the brightness of the adjacent light area in the minds of the viewers, does that mean it's just a pigment of their imagination?

In a way you could say so.

When you look at a strong light, say from a car in the night, you would not be able to see anything close to the light source. The yellow light, from the car, will radiate and color the area around the light spot, and the light will look bigger than it is. This is real light behavior.

In a painting you can make the same "effect of blinding" by obscuring the area around the lit part. When done with red color, that is a condensed yellow light color, you will perceive your impression as if you were blinded by the strong light reflected from the object.

I think, Allan

[Janel Maples]

Originally Posted by Chuck Yokota

So, if optical red creates the illusion of the brightness of the adjacent light area in the minds of the viewers, does that mean it's just a pigment of their imagination?

Oooo....nice play with words.

[Janel Maples]

I pushed the submit reply button before I was finished. I wanted to add that I find this subject very interesting.

[Geary Wootten]

This is interesting. In the graphics business I would pinstripe around a flame job on a hot rod or a drum set (my last "flamer") and against a cool black field using a typical yellow to red blend in the flame we custom painters like to use blue as the pinstripe color. The blue would cause the flame to "vibrate" as well as framing it all in a tight hard but flowing shape.

The "glow" using the vibrating color spectrum is a very intriguing system indeed. Thank you for bringing it up, Henry.... and to you Tony for sharing that gorgeous example in your work!

Geary

[Alexandra Tyng]

This topic fascinates me. I keep coming back to it. I love the whole idea of painting a glow that surrounds a lit object against a dark background. I'm posting a head study I did almost a year ago, in which I used the optical red effect on the lit edge of his head and ear. As I was painting it I saw the color as the effect of looking through a foreshortened perspective of indirect, refracted light and seeing the resulting color as glowing in the air just at the edge.

I'm wondering what color red other people use for "optical red." What about you, Tony? (That's a beautifully painted head, by the way.) I was using Gamblin's perylene red.

Also, has anyone noticed other color variations of this halo effect? David Leffel often paints a whitish glow of light coming off the lit side of objects against a dark background. If I had his new book I woiuld try to find what he says about it, but I can't find the book--I think I lent it to someone. Does anyone have it? I think the color of the halo looks different under different conditions.

[Alexandra Tyng]

Thank goodness the Forum is up and running again! But I guess to resurrect this thread I'm going to have to write another post. I'd still like to know whether anyone else uses "optical red" or any other colored light halo at the edge of a lit form against a dark background. I would really like to see some more examples. I'm also curious about historical precedent, and which artists used it in the past. Does anyone know?

[Julie Deane]

I'm providing the link to a sample by Steven Assael. Go to the second picture in the link and you'll see extreme optical red plus a lot of that white glow you've mentioned.

http://www.forumgallery.com/2005/e_assael.htm

[Allan Rahbek]

Originally Posted by Alexandra Tyng

I'm also curious about historical precedent, and which artists used it in the past. Does anyone know?

Alex,
I found this painting by Repin. It shows how he painted a lighter area around the white coat. This is apparently not a transparent white, but it has the same effect, it makes the white clothe glow.

Allan

[Alexandra Tyng]

Very interesting, Allan! Thanks for posting this. An idea is forming in my head about the color of the object in relation to the color of the halo. I think maybe the halo is one step less bright or less direct because it is refracted off the object.

[Carol Norton]

Originally Posted by Alexandra Tyng

Very interesting, Allan! Thanks for posting this. An idea is forming in my head about the color of the object in relation to the color of the halo. I think maybe the halo is one step less bright or less direct because it is refracted off the object.

Thank you for this comment, Alexandra. I have been mulling this over in my mind, too. I will be very interested in other responses.