In the colours of minerals, too, the same may be observed. In short, in the beauty of colouring, as in every other species of beauty, uniformity and variety are found to combine.
An appreciation of colour depends, in the first place, as much upon the physical powers of the eye in conveying a proper impression to the mind, as that of music on those of the ear. But an ear for music, or an eye for colour, are, in so far as beauty is concerned, erroneous expressions; because they are merely applicable to the impression made upon the senses, and do not refer to the æsthetical principles of harmony, by which beauty can alone be understood.
A good eye, combined with experience, may enable us to form a correct idea as to the purity of an individual colour, or of the relative difference existing between two separate hues; but this sort of discrimination does not constitute that kind of appreciation of the harmony of colour by which we admire and enjoy its development in nature and art. The power of perceiving and appreciating beauty of any kind, is a principle inherent in the human mind, which may be improved by cultivation in the degree of the perfection of the art senses. Great pains have been bestowed on the education of the ear, in assisting it to appreciate the melody and harmony of sound; but still much remains to be done in regard to the cultivation of the eye, in appreciating colour as well as form.
It is true, that there are individuals whose powers of vision are perfect, in so far as regards the appreciation of light, shade, and configuration, but who are totally incapable of perceiving effects produced by the intermediate phenomenon of colour, every object appearing to them either white, black, or neutral gray; others, who are equally blind as to the effect of one of the three primary colours, but see the other two perfectly, either singly or combined; while there are many who, having the full physical power of perceiving all the varieties of the phenomenon, and who are even capable of making nice distinctions amongst a variety of various colours, are yet incapable of appreciating the æsthetic quality of harmony which exists in their proper combination. It is the same with respect to the effects of sounds upon the ear—some have organs so constituted, that notes above or below a certain pitch are to them inaudible; while others, with physical powers otherwise perfect, are incapable of appreciating either melody or harmony in musical composition. But perceptions so imperfectly constituted are, by the goodness of the Creator, of very rare occurrence; therefore all attempts at improvement in the science of æsthetics must be suited to the capacities of the generality of mankind, amongst whom the perception of colour exists in a variety as great as that by which their countenances are distinguished. Artists now and then appear who have this intuitive perception in such perfection, that they are capable of transferring to their works the most beautiful harmonies and most delicate gradations of colours, in a manner that no acquired knowledge could have enabled them to impart. To those who possess such a gift, as well as to those to whom the ordinary powers of perception are denied, it would be equally useless to offer an explanation of the various modes in which the harmony of colour develops itself, or to attempt a definition of the many various colours, hues, tints, and shades, arising out of the simple elements of this phenomenon. But to those whose powers lie between these extremes, being neither above nor below cultivation, such an explanation and definition must form a step towards the improvement of that inherent principle which constitutes the basis of æsthetical science.
Although the variety and harmony of colour which nature is continually presenting to our view, are apparent to all whose visual organs are in a natural state, and thus to the generality of mankind; yet a knowledge of the simplicity by which this variety and beauty are produced, is, after ages of philosophic research and experimental inquiry, only beginning to be properly understood.
Light may be considered as an active, and darkness a passive principle in the economy of Nature, and colour an intermediate phenomenon arising from their joint influence; and it is in the ratios in which these primary principles act upon each other, by which I here intend to explain the science of beauty as evolved in colour. It has been usual to consider colour as an inherent quality in light, and to suppose that coloured bodies absorb certain classes of its rays, and reflect or transmit the remainder; but it appears to me that colour is more probably the result of certain modes in which the opposite principles of motion and rest, or force and resistance, operate in the production, refraction, and reflection of light, and that each colour is mutually related, although in different degrees, to these active and passive principles.
White and black are the representatives of light and darkness, or activity and rest, and are therefore calculated as pigments to reduce colours and hues to tints and shades.
Having, however, fully illustrated the nature of tints and shades in a former work,[22] I shall here confine myself to colours in their full intensity—shewing the various modifications which their union with each other produce, along with the harmonic relations which these modifications bear to the primaries, and to each other in respect to warmth and coolness of tone, as well as to light and shade.
The primary colours are red, yellow, and blue. Of these, yellow is most allied to light, and blue to shade, while red is neutral in these respects, being equally allied to both. In respect to tone, that of red is warm, and that of blue cool, while the tone of yellow is neutral. The ratios of their relations to each other in these respects will appear in the harmonic scales to which, for the first time, I am about to subject colours, and to systematise their various simple and compound relations, which are as follow:—