The Beginning of Color Theories

Color theories create a logical structure for color. For example, if we have an assortment of fruits and vegetables, we can organize them by color and place them on a circle that shows the colors in relation to each other.

Joshua Reynolds (1723 to 1792) was a well known figure in the history of western painting, and the most famous classical painter in Britain and the founder and lifelong dean of the Royal College of Art. Meanwhile, he persistently insisted on the color theory of the Renaissance and actively practiced it. He made a lot of refinement and interpretation of Renaissance painting theory.

In the same period, another famous British classical painter Thomas Gainsborough (1727 to 1788) was an artist filled with the spirit of rebellion, who challenged traditional color theory by using his own works. In his "The Blue Boy" and "A Woman In Blue Portrait Of The Duchess Of Beaufort", blue and purple took the dominant position and cool colors were used in a large space.