“Playing” with Color: How Similar Is the “Geometry” of Color Harmony in the CIELAB Color Space across Countries?
Author:
Griber Yulia A.1ORCID, Samoilova Tatyana2, Al-Rasheed Abdulrahman S.3, Bogushevskaya Victoria4, Cordero-Jahr Elisa5, Delov Alexey1, Gouaich Yacine6ORCID, Manteith James7, Mefoh Philip8, Odetti Jimena Vanina9, Politi Gloria4, Sivova Tatyana10
Affiliation:
1. Department of Sociology and Philosophy, Smolensk State University, Prshevalsky Str. 4, Smolensk 214000, Russia 2. Department of Computer Science, Smolensk State University, Prshevalsky Str. 4, Smolensk 214000, Russia 3. Department of Psychology, College of Education, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2458, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia 4. Department of Humanities, University of Salento, Palazzo Parlangeli, Via Vito Mario Stampacchia, 42, 73100 Lecce, Italy 5. School of Design, Faculty of Architecture and Arts, Austral University of Chile, E. Haverbeck 10, Valdivia 5110027, Region of Los Ríos, Chile 6. Department of Architecture, University of Mostaganem, Mostaganem 27000, Algeria 7. Apraksin Blues Magazine, 47494 Arroyo Seco Road, Arroyo Seco-Greenfield, CA 93927, USA 8. Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410105, Nigeria 9. Department of Architecture, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Instituto Tecnológico José Mario Molina Pasquel y Henríquez, Campus Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco 48290, Mexico 10. Department of Journalism, Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, Ozheshko Str. 22, 230023 Grodno, Belarus
Abstract
In physical environments and cultural landscapes, we most often deal not with separate colors, but with color combinations. When choosing a color, we usually try to “fit” it into a preexisting color context, making the new color combination harmonious. Yet are the “laws” of color harmony fundamental to our shared cognitive architecture, or are they cultural products that vary from country to country? To answer these questions we conducted an experiment with 599 participants aged 18 to 76 from eight different countries, including Algeria (MA = 26.2 years; SD = 8.8; 49 men, 26 women), Belarus (MA = 19.8 years; SD = 9.1; 19 men, 63 women), Italy (MA = 29.0 years; SD = 12.8; 23 men, 67 women), Mexico (MA = 20.0 years; SD = 7.0; 34 men, 23 women), Nigeria (MA = 34.7 years; SD = 10.5; 29 men, 32 women), Russia (MA = 24.6 years; SD = 6.3; 17 men, 72 women), Saudi Arabia (MA = 24.5 years; SD = 8.6; 28 men, 38 women), and Chile (MA = 34.3 years; SD = 15.1; 35 men, 43 women). To create experimental stimuli, we used 10 color combinations composed by the Russian avant-garde artist Mikhail Matyushin and his disciples for the Reference Book of Color (1932) based on shades that were typical in architectural design—yellow ochre, light umber, light ochre, and burnt umber. We removed the “intermediary” linking color from each of the selected color triads and asked participants to adjust the color of this band according to their liking. Mapping 2995 color choices into CIELAB and CIELCh color space to identify their chromatic characteristics (hue, lightness, and chroma), we demonstrate graphically that color triads in different cultures have a different “geometry” in CIELAB color space and on the color circle. We conclude that the revealed patterns of these relationships reflect cross-cultural “shifts” in human perception of color harmony. The analysis presented in this paper will facilitate opportunities for architects, designers, and other color professionals to create culturally specific harmonic color combinations in urban environments.
Funder
Russian Science Foundation
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