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2. Sense of vision
6. Bibliography
1. Sensation and perception Steps in perception [trickle down, siphon up]
To sustain, all forms of life have to survive in their immediate Information from the environment trickles down the neural
context. The knowledge of this immediate context is acquired by system, is filtered and analysed, till it reaches the ‘inference’
the sensation and perception of the surrounding environment. stage, where ‘synthesis’ happens over the substrate of the
information. These synthesized ideas are ‘siphoned’ back into
Human sense organs and their sensations. the environment as physical actions or manifest themselves as
new ideas.
STIMULUS
Retina
A thin layer of light sensitive Photoreceptors
nerve cells [photoreceptors] Rods [illumination sensitive]
at the back of the eye. Cones [colour sensitive]
(a) Relativity of perception. Those colours, which when combined with each other in
We do not perceive absolute values, we perceive differences and different proportions, would effectively yeild all the other
relative values. For example, we comprehend how high a colours.
building is, by observing it against the height of a man
standing beside it.
Additive primaries [Projected light, spectral colours]
Colours of light are additive. Starting from darkness
(b) Perceptual constancy.
(absence of light), each subsequent addition of these colours
Inspite of the large scale variations in the energy variation
produce progressively lighter colours.
reaching our senses, the perceptual world remains fairly
constant. For example, a man in the distance appears small,
If the three primaries [Red, Green and Blue] are mixed in
but we perceive him to be of normal height. We don’t perceive
equal proportion, then they create white light, as shown in
the man to be growing as he approaches us from a distance.
fig.3.1[a].
Our perception of colour also have the above properties
This is because,
1. We do not perceive absolute values, we perceive differences. Fig.3.1[a]: additive mixing of light. Fig.3.1[b]: subtractive mixing of pigments.
]
Retina: sensation
photoreceptors: rods + cones
A combination of responses of all three cones enables us to see
the ‘colour gamut’* that we see. Transduction Trichromacy
theory
]
Neural channels
The trichromacy theory explained many observations, but left opponent-process coding
a few areas unaddressed. Ewald Hering pointed out that
Opponent-process
Yellow, which is supposed to be a combination of red and green
theory
was actually perceived as a primary colour, not as a greenish
red or a reddish green.
He therefore proposed a six colour system of visual perception. Fig 4.1: connecting the Trichromacy and opponent-process theory.
For each pair, activation of one member inhibits the opposing - Simultaneous brightness contrast [afterimage in complement colours]
member. - Pairwise loss of colour in colour blindness.
- The primary ststus of yellow, despite there being no yellow cone.
Inferences
The white background reflects more light than the
coloured areas. To balance out this effect, the area
of colour required on the white background
is more. Hence, the colour filled shapes are more
visible than the strokes on the white background.
The previously stated observations varied according to the brightness of the hues
chosen by the class. For example, a brighter yellow stood out more on the black
due to greater contrast, as compared to a less bright yellow.
Lightness: We see light reflected off an object, or light coming directly from
the object [luminous bodies]. ’Lightness’ refers to the intensity of light coming
from an object. Image from the class display
Fig 5.2.1[a]: Deciding the composition Fig 5.2.1[b]: Deciding the colours of the composition
Observation Inference
As evident from the pictures above, some of the compositions were more successful Composition and colour are not separate entities, but are inherenlty dependent on each
than the others. Some of the compositions were balanced and interesting as compared other. The probability of a composition being successful is greater if it has been composed
to the others. in colour, instead composing first and adding the colours as a second layer.
Tangents: discussions
We are able to perceive thousands of different colours. Our visual system is also
capable of noticing subtle differences in colours. However, we have only limited
number of colour names.
Research shows that all the colours that we can distinguish, can be described by using
the colours red, yellow, blue, green and their combinations [Abramov & Gordon, 1994;
Hurvich, 1981].
Cross-cultural studies [Brent Berlin and Paul Kay, 1969] show that, although cultures
vary in the number of terms they use to address colours, the sequence of colours being
named in the language follows the sequence shown below.
Purple
Orange
Black Yellow Green
Gray
All cultures use equivalent names of black and white, followed by red, yellow and green
[ or green and yellow], then blue followed by brown. The other colours are added later.
These 11 colours [black, white, red, yellow, green, blue, brown, orange, pink, purple and gray]
form the basic colour set.
When Cyan is added to the above set, the 12 colour set is formed.
Observations
The perceptual green is a hue of green with
a little yellow. 100% green 100% red
Inference
The observed phenomena only apply to transparent solids and fluids.
The resultant stack is an additive mixture with regard to colour and
a subtractive mixture with regard to light. As the volume of the stack
increases, so does the brightness of the hue and the transparency of the
stack decreases. This attribute is called ‘volume colour’. The effect is seen
commonly in swimming pools, where the water appears ‘more blue’ at the
deeper end.
saturation
e
curv
t ion
ra
atu
S
Colour
Volume
Observations The mixture is additive with regard to colour and subtractive with
Initially, the water was a very light yellow. As more of the pigment regard to light.
was added, the colour of the water moved from light yellow to a deep
yellow, and getting deeper, it gradually turned brown and saturated
after a deep brown. There was also a gradual loss in the transparency.
1 2 3 4 5 6
12 11 10 9 8 7
Fig. 5.5a: change in the colour of water as the pigment was mixed.
Explaining the observations Conclusion
The colours yielded by mixing pigments [subtractive mixing] of the
Volume colour is the connecting link between the additive primaries of light [additive primaries, red, blue and green] are the
and subtractive colour systems. Volumes of yellow produce volume colour saturations of the pigment primaries [subtractive
brown, and in that process, the transparency of the system primaries, cyan, magenta and yellow].
is reduced, but not lost.
Therefore, as observed by mixing the pigment and water, and as
explained by fig 5.5b,
Fig 5.5b explains why brown is a deep, deep yellow.
Red + Green = Brown, which is the saturation of yellow.
Red + green
The volume of water
acts like a colour filter
Fig. 5.6.1[a]: Composing the bench, the square and the wall, so as to attain a balance.
Composing with colour
Fig 5.6.2[a] compositions in green to study the lightness of colours to be assigned to the elements.
Composing with colour