Vincent Van Gogh, Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, 1888.
Complementary colours
Two colours, placed side by side, will appear differently depending on which colours are used and what they are placed next to.
The effect of this interaction is called simultaneous contrast.
Simultaneous contrast is most intense when two complementary colours are juxtaposed directly next to each other.
For example, red placed directly next to a green, if you concentrate on the edge you will see a slight vibration.
Your eye doesn’t like resting on the edge. The two complementary colour in their purest, most saturated form don’t sit well together, however, if you want to try and focus your viewer gaze on a particular part of the painting a knowledge of the ‘attraction to the eye’ can be used to great effect…
Van Gogh’s painting technique
Orange and blue accentuate each other in Van Gogh’s Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, 1888 above.
In Van Gogh’s painting, he has a very bold use of colour. If we start to analyze the piece we can see how he has used the power of complementary colours and the colour wheel to heighten the visual effect of simultaneous contrast.
He wanted to move our eyes around the painting, not just by the composition, but by his use of complementary colour:
- The rear windows – have a very strong saturated orange sitting right next to a pure french ultramarine, this causes the shimmering effect to give the evening window light a ‘glow’.
- The front of the cobbles – He has used this effect on a more subtle level where the small arches of orange and blue add movement, reflecting the movement and life within a cafe.
- Warm and cool colours – add a visual depth to it due to the fact that cool colour recedes into the background and warm colours come forward.
In this example, Van Gogh has used complementary colours to his advantage and often went out of his way to create contrast and tension in his paintings.
When describing the painting below he commented to his brother Theo:
“I have tried to express the terrible passions of humanity by means of red and green. The room is blood red and dark yellow with a green billiard table in the middle; there are four citron yellow lamps with a glow of orange and green. Everywhere there is a clash and contrast of the most disparate reds and greens….’
Vincent Van Gogh, The Night Café, Arles, 1888.
However, the jarring nature of this visual effect is exactly that – jarring. So, if you want to create a painting that is more harmonious you can still use these principles but on a more subdued level.
Vermeer uses of complementary colour
Vermeer, The Milkmaid, 1658 – 60
In this Vermeer painting, The Milkmaid, we can also see the effect of complementary colours, albeit on a more subtle level.
Here he uses an approach using split complements which in general will create a subtle effect.
Split Complements
This is where you use one colour, for example, blue and instead of using its direct complement (orange) we split the colour wheel and use the next colour along. For this example, that would be a yellow-orange. This creates a nice visual balance, but also interest for our eye.
The main point of focus of this painting is the milk jug. Vermeer has the milkmaid’s gaze looking directly at it so we naturally follow her gaze to the object.
However, he still uses this visual effect by making the focus of the painting, the jug, a warm bright orange placed next to a bright blue of her dress to create a visual balance.
So how can this help me in my choice of colours when painting?
If you place a strong cadmium yellow next to a grey it will appear (to our eye) different than if it was placed directly next to its complementary colour, purple.(I’m using grey as an example because it is a neutral colour)
If you place a grey next to another stronger highly saturated colour, the grey will appear to have a slight tint of the surrounding or adjoining colour.
Creating a warm glow to your landscape painting
So if you want to create the illusion of a warm sunset, the first area of land nearest to the horizon line can be left a muted cool colour (blue, green) so the effects of simultaneous contrast can be used to create the illusion ‘glow’ of the horizon. The more muted the horizon line the most natural it will appear. (see: Titian’s use of warm and cool colours)
In Turner’s painting below you can see how he has used a muted blue background to emphasize the bright orange sunset.
J.M.W Turner, Slave ship, 1840
Why does this happen?
The actual paint colours are of course not altered; only our perception of them changes.
The grey on the left will appear to have a slight tint of the surrounding or adjoining colour.
Whereas the edges of the yellow square on the right have a ‘shimmer’ to them.
A brief history of simultaneous contrast
Michel Eugene Chevereaul, a French Scientist, was working as the director of the dye works at the Gobelins Manufactory in Paris. Whilst he was working there he received many complaints about the colours of the dyes, Specifically how the blacks appeared differently when used next to blues.
Researching this further, he realized that the yarn’s ‘perceived’ colour was being affected by the surrounding colours. This led to the idea of simultaneous contrast.
Why does this happen?
Our perceived ‘memory’ of an object can be very strong.
If a beginner learning how to paint places a banana under a red light it would cause our logical left brain memory some problems because we have such a strong memory of bananas being yellow.
Even if we see them as red your brain tells you, this doesn’t feel right, so you change the colour to something you feel more comfortable with, and then the painting looks ‘wrong’.
Colours can be tricky.
To try and counteract this effect artists often use isolated swatches of paint or viewfinders to try and perceive a colour on its own, in isolation, rather than trying to judge it next to another colour.
So the next time you are creating a painting withhold judgment on your colour mixing prowess until you have all the adjoining colours next to each other.
I often paint thin, more muted colours to start with and try and build up the whole picture at once. It then becomes easier for the eye to judge the correct balance of a hue. I leave the strongest, thickest paint for last, so I can choose exactly the tone and colour of the paint to pull the picture together.
One of the biggest mistakes you can do is working on one small section to completion before addressing the picture as a whole.
If you’d like to learn more about colour mixing, you should have a look at my simple colour mixing course.
You might also like:
How your hairdresser can teach you to mix colours
The hidden hues of colour mixing
Fascinating : )
Thanks Anne, glad you enjoyed the article.
Will
will, I was wondering if there were any artists that you know of that only use complementary colours?
Hi Josh, any limited colour palette like a blue and orange painting just uses complementary colours, here’s a demo of one.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Will
Thank you will I wasn’t to sure, I’m going to be starting my first year of gcse next week so iv been revising art types over the holiday, thank you again.
Good one Josh, good luck with your GCSEs
Will, thanks so much for your articles, I have read a few of them this morning, they are easy for me to understand and full of information to help me along. I enjoyed this one on Van Gogh as my first ever acrylic painting (about a year and half ago) was after his Sunflowers painting.
All the best,
Tania
Hi Tania,
You’re welcome, great to hear they are helpful in your painting progress. Van Gogh is a really good artist to start with as he has such a painterly approach. I might do a tutorial on “how to paint like Van Gogh” what do you think?
Will
Hey hi….
I am an Indian and where can I read your blogs….or updates….
Though I am graphic design student…still I am fan of Van gogh…and i love the above update…interesting……
So where can I join u?
Hi Alka,
Thanks for the message, I can let you know on updates to this post and will be shortly having an email update service, I’ll keep you posted,
Will
Hi Will,
I think a “how to paint like Van Gogh” tutorial would be wonderful! Over the three or so months it took me to paint my sunflowers I really reflected on how much The Old Masters have to teach us and it was by doing that I really saw the brilliance of Van Gogh and how much more there is to learn.
Tania
Hi Tania,
Studying an Old Master painting really can teach you loads! I’ll get working on a tutorial for ‘How to paint like Van Gogh” I think it will be great fun to do.
Thanks,
Will
Thanks again Will You-are a wonderfully teacher and love your sense of humour. I have read a load of different books and got more and more confused, You have sorted a lot out for me. Love hearing about split complementary. Would love a video of country landscape some where a bit wild in a lose style. Thanks again Sue.
Hi Sue, you’re very kind, pleased to hear the articles have been helping to ‘put it all together’
Cheers,
Will
Hi Will,
Great blog and awesome tutorials, keep it up.
Hi Will,
This is a great site I have finally found some of Vincent Van Goghs famous complementary colours paintings perfect for my art homework thanks again
Ruby
Thanks Ruby, pleased to hear it’s helped out with your homework.
Cheers,
Will
Hi Wiill,
Greetings from the Land of Enchantment (New Mexico, USA). I am so excited to have run across your fabulous tutorials, and I can’t wait to get started tomorrow morning. I’ll work on the red cherry first and send you a pic when I’m finished.
Muchas gracias (Many thanks)
Maria
Hola Maria, enjoy the cherry painting tutorial, looking forward to seeing your results.
Cheers,
Will
I just found your website and I can’t wait to get started! How convenient to work at home. Thank you so much for putting this school online.
Hi Virginia, pleased you’ve found the website, enjoy exploring the articles and tutorials.
Cheers,
Will
cool
Just wanted to thank you so much for all of the useful information. You are doing a real service here.
Thanks very much Candace, very kind of you to say so,
Cheers,
Will
Ive spent 35 years filming dolphins. Just startedbpainting and your site is brilliant. Checking outnyour tutorials. Probably color mixing will be my first.
Hi Hardy, wow, sounds fascinating, pleased you’re enjoying the site,
Cheers,
Will
P.S. A phthalo blue with a green shade is a fantastic colour for creating brilliant turquoise seas.
wow i love how when you know complementary colors it is so easy to see them in painting. Love these paintings you have on here by the way!
Thanks Sally, pleased you’re enjoying the site,
Cheers,
Will
Hi Will,
I think your tutorials are wonderful and they really help me with alot of my work!
Thanks,
Sundee
Pleased to hear it Sundee.
Cheers,
Will
Enjoyed your articles…i have so much to learn…..just completed oil and aryclic course…by south african artists Neil Moss..what he lectured , showed and explianed so inline with your material….i be on this site regually …thanks shaun
Thanks for dropping by Shaun, so pleased you’re finding the tutorials helpful in your painting.
Cheers,
Will
Great tips, very usefull. Now I can understand how to build my paintings. I was also disappointed my paintings beacuse of darkness so I started to use a lot white. It was really lighter but didn’t work…I wanted to make contrast using dark and light colours. I didn’t know about warm and cold colours and I owned about 20 kind of colours! Now I don’t know what for ;) THANK YOU
Good one Kaya,
Pleased it helped.
Will
I’m taking Will’s color mixing course and it is helping a lot – starting with a proper ground color then setting out colors to get a sense of the balance.
Great to hear it Hardy, pleased it’s helping with your paintings.
Cheers,
Will
Thank you so much. Van Gogh was the real deal. Can’t get enough of him.
Thanks Kevin, really pleased you enjoyed the article.
Cheers,
Will
I love your work
Thanks Rae,
Will
Van Gogh tutorial would be fantastic. Will’s stuff on completmentary color is finally getting me out of my MUDdlle of colors. Hardy
Just discovered your tutorials and im so so fascinated… love the way you make it all sound so simple. Painted my 1st acrylic yesterday and today i know why so many things went wrong (dint prep my canvas with ground colour, used my brush to mix colours, used a plastic palette to mix the colours… ugh!). Looking forward to learning from you. Thank you!
Hi Nissy, really pleased you’ve been enjoying the lessons and congratulations on your first painting!
Cheers,
Will
Will, I’m doing a ground for a painting of an antarctic sunset. Foreground is deep purple with bg being orange and yellow topped by black/blue. I’m inclined to split the undercoating to a Payne;s grey for foreground and a yellow orange (light with plenty of white) for the sky/background. ???
Hi Hardy, yes that would work, just make sure to soften the line between the two when you paint them on so there is a subtle transition between the two.
Cheers,
Will
Hey Will! I’m glad you made this website. In fact, I’m actually studying Complementary Colours on my homeschool, Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool! And thanks a bunch! Won’t be on here for a while. ;)
And im also 11. :)
Good one Braxton
Hi Mr. Will,
wow i really like this website i like your humor in your writing.
im learning about comlementary colours to!
I also use Easy Peasy allinone homeschool.
You really help me under stand what to use these colours for.
thanks a lot !!!!!!
Good one Emma, pleased you’ve been finding the website helpful.
Cheers,
Will
Hello Will,
I’m Jazmyn and I use Easy Peasy all in one Homeschool – it’s not as easy as it sounds. I am studying complementary colors and couldn’t really get the hang of it. Your article cleared everything up for me.
Thanks a million
Jazmyn
So pleased to hear you found it helpful in your studies Jazmyn.
Cheers,
Will
hey i do easy peasy and this website really helped a lot.i am really into art. But i want to be a fashion designer when i grow up. i think that counts as art do you?
Sure does count Hannah, pleased you’ve been finding the website helpful.
Cheers,
Will
I like the way you use the colors and I want to paint like you. sorry for the spelling
Thanks! This is going to really “complement” my student lecture.
Pleased to hear it Leslie.
Cheers,
Will
Very informative article! In photography we have yellow opposite to blue so Vermeer looks very natural to me. We also have no orange to adjust directly.
Thanks.
Pleased you found it helpful,
Cheers,
Will
Thanks for this posting. It just reminded me how to solve a problem painting a local marsh. There was not enough value contrast until I applied this maxim.
Great to hear it Hardy.
Will
Hi Will. I stumbled upon your pages by accident, but what a great accident! I’m learning so much, and keen to keep on learning. My current project is a copy of Van Gogh’s “Cafe Terrace at Night”, so I’ve found the notes and comments on this part of the site to be very useful. Many thanks!
Really pleased you’ve been finding the articles of interest Alan, hope it helps with your project.
Cheers,
Will
Hi Will
I am very thanksfull about your Course Simply mixing , i learned very much from it.
Please can you tell me, if we have pigments opaque how we can make from them transparent, you are going to help me so much ,
Sincerely Svetlana
Hi Svetlana,
The opacity or translucency of a pigment is dependent on the chemical properties of the pigment. The only way to make an opaque pigment appear more translucent is to dilute the pigment with water or a medium.
Cheers,
Will
love the paintings
Wow! This is part of my homework and it helped, a lot! Thanks, Will!!!
Cali
Will, I can see clearly now as the song says! I knew there was something I did not know about color theory! As you said, my paintings all looked like color enhanced pictures! I lean toward portraits but occasionally would attemp landscapes only to be disappointed. Now, for the third time, I will attempt a landscape for a commission work! Thank you!
Great to hear it Linda, really pleased you enjoyed the article, hope the landscape painting goes well.
Cheers,
Will
A 13 year old learning about colours LOL thx Will
Loved the article. It Helped a lot. I hope you keep it up. This article and some others
read were great. I do Easy Peasy and I was wondering if you have any more stuff on complementary colors.
Hi Gloria, pleased you found it helpful, here is a tutorial using the complementary colours orange and blue.
Hope you enjoy it,
Cheers,
Will
I loved the paintings, Will thanks a lot!!!!
Hi I really enjoy your insight and lessons – Ive leant sooooo much and try to use my knowledge when painting. Thanks for sharing.
In my opinion Van Gough is one of the best painters
nice job will
Thanks Malachi, much appreciated.
Will
Beautiful pictures.
i’ve already learned so much about painting and mixing colors
hi this is so cool i love it and i’m not even that much of an art fan myself.
Hi will,
Thank you so much for your free video to start. They are inspirational. I want to know how to paint beaches. I live in California and I can’t help it with out painting a beach. I have hard time to choose colors.
Thank you,
Zaineb jafar
Pleased you’ve been enjoying the lessons Zaineb, a Naples Yellow or Yellow Ochre can work wonders for a beach scene.
Cheers,
Will
Great tip!! As I understand the back ground plays a big act in the canvas. How about the blue color ocean and the sand ?
Hi Zaineb, a yellow ochre with a little white added can work as a brilliant coloured ground for seascapes.
Cheers,
Will
Oh btw … I need biscuits:) I think that is the secret of your great art.
Ha, ha, I agree!
nice job will
Hello Will, I enjoyed this page thanks.
Great to hear it Sarah.
Will
cool art will
Hey. I am originally for London and my family all love you. You are our hero and my aunt has sold one of her painting”s so keep up the good work
Rock on Kenzie, glad your Auntie has sold one of her paintings, pass on a virtual
Will
Very interesting
Cool art will it was very interesting to so tho opposite complimentary colors
Pleased you enjoyed it Reece.
hi I’m Kaelyn. I do easy peasy homeschooling and thought this website really helped me find what i needed and really helped me learn more than i thought i would. thank you for making this website
Kaelyn
So pleased you found it helpful Kaelyn.
Dear Mr Kemp,
Thank you for the information concerning complimentary contrasts. I will try to use some of this information.
I think your painting skills are amazing. Your free explication of Artisan water mixable oil colour convinced me to take the leap and equip myself with such. I believe that Water mixable oil colour is just as good as conventional oils.
I think apart from Winsor and Newton, Cobra and the Rowney line are also beautiful water mixable oil colours.
Glad you found it helpful Janet, and pleased you’ve been enjoying the water-mixable oils.
Cheers,
Will
i like his art work, and i like the detail he puts in to is. i like it a lot.
Hi Will, I really appreciate the PDF. I have learned so much from reading your clear and easy to read and grasp style. I have watched a couple of videos too and am eager to get my acrylic paints etc out and paint along with you. Thanks again from Sydney, Australia.
Great stuff Kate, so pleased you’ve been finding the lessons helpful.
Will
The first comment was 11 yrs and 8 days ago
Very precise timings Joseph!
Thankyou so very much for your generous, easy to understand, direction with the use of colour. I have accumulated a vast number of tubes and jars of various brands of paint in my desire to learn to paint, but this is the first useful instruction. I have read several of the articles this morning, but be assured it is only the beginning of my journey with you. Thankyou and so very grateful to have discovered you!
Great stuff Patty, really hope you find the articles of help in your painting journey!
Will