In my book “The Color Investigations of Robert Henri,” I explore the Bi Colors in Chapter 7, Expansion of the Spectrum Palette. Henri expressed in his notebooks that the Bi Colors are the most important because they are the ones you use most often in representational painting. These 15 Bi Colors [found in Vol. 1, p. 49] fall between the root notes of the Full Spectrum Palette at the highest intensity and those of the 6 Hues, which are colors that approach a neutral while still maintaining a dominant color. So the Bi Colors are semi-neutrals containing a portion of a complementary pair.
If we take, for example, RO Bi made from R + YG, one can observe that the complementary pair of R andG neutralize this mixture, creating a RO that is lower in intensity. But the R and Y still dominate, maintaining the RO color. If we reflect on this mixture in another way, we can observe that the YG is a near-complement to the R, just next to the direct complement G on a chromatic circle. Not all the Bi Colors follow near-complementary relationships. But what is always expressed is a dominant color that is semi-neutralized through a complementary pair.
The R-Y-B Bi Colors follow a color’s scale. R Bi is made with VR + RO. These colors immediately surround R on the Full Spectrum and therefore have a strong R component in their mix. The R residing in both the VR and RO. The B in the VR and the O in the RO form a complementary pair that semi-neutralizes the mixture. Note that there are no secondary Bi Colors. Both Henri and Maratta felt that they were unnecessary. And once you mix the Bi Colors, you can see that the secondary combinations come very close in hue to their neighbors.
The easiest way to mix the Bi Colors is to start with the primary Bi Colors, then move on to the tertiary Bi Colors. Leave the quaternary Bi Colors [such as VRR] for last, as these combinations are very subtle and need to be placed between their primary and tertiary partners. If your Full Spectrum Palette is balanced- all complementary pairs neutralize one another- then the mixing of the Bi Colors is pretty straightforward. Just follow the list I provide on p. 49. Note that although, I am providing a list of the Bi Colors, these Bi Colors can be made with other combinations of colors. An example would be an elaboration of a Major or Minor Chord. A Chord is its own set limitation and the Bi Colors, in this case, must be composed of some combination of the root notes of the Chord. If I compare the Bi Colors in the list with those that are mixed within a Chord, I will find that they are closely related in color and tone, but may have been mixed from other combinations. But note, they are clearly related.
Last week, during one of the many snowfalls that we have had in the Catskills this winter, I painted my neighbor’s maple tree. In this study, I used the Bi Colors almost entirely. I did dip down into the B, R and Y Hue and up into the BV color of the top line of the Full Spectrum. But the main combinations came from the Bi Color line. I used the GBB, BBV, BV, and the VR extensively. I also used the RRO for the warm tones in the sky and the snow. I used the Y and R Hue for the grasses and the BV + White [from the top line of root colors] for the snow sitting on the large branches. Observe that with some combinations, such as VR, GB + R, I allowed that combination to sit side by side on the left trunk rather than completely mix them together. The choice of application is up to the painter.
What I find intensely gratifying about the Bi Colors is that they are less definable and more subtle than using the root colors from the top line. They are beautifully harmonized, and they take less mixing- I can grab a Bi Color and add some white, and I am there, without excessive mixing or deliberating my choice. The Bi Colors are exquisite, having a jewel-like quality; the difference between B Bi and BBV Bi is a soft shift in tone and color temperature. The more I’ve worked with the Bi Colors, the more tuned my color perception has become.
I hope you can increase the color quality of your tones by experimenting with these Bi Colors. You will not be disappointed!
The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, Vols. 1 & 2
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Hello, I have bought the books and have almost the same question as the person above. Is it a pattern for mixing the tertiary bi-colors?
I see the pattern for mixing the R, Y, B bi-colors, but I don’t see a pattern for the rest.
The secondary Bi colors are mixed from those colors on either side of the primary such as YG + OY= Y Bi. The tertiary Bi colors are not created in a simple symmetrical pattern. This is because H.G. Maratta [who developed the scientific basis for the Spectrum Palette] chose to examine the tertiary Bi color visually. It is imperative that there is a visual flow along the Bi color line. He was concerned with value and with the progression of color along the spectrum. You can see he doesn’t mix anything with Y to create the Bi colors. This value is too light and would pop out from its proper place. He also, doesn’t use B because this might effect the intensity along the Bi color line [ see Image 14-2]. So Maratta made adjustments to create continuity. I have examined this very question, and spent months teasing the math apart and found that there is an irregular pattern behind his logic that has to do with the spacing of intervals with 2 variations. Knowing this does not help the painting process- it doesn’t facilitate the mixing. Knowing that one can create Bi colors with the selection that Maratta lists is understanding how to regulate intensity. But there are any number of possible mixes one can use to elaborate this Bi color line. As you paint a passage that is a muted B, I know I can get variety here by adjusting my combination of mixes. I could use V + G to get a B hue. Or I could mix BV + GB to get the B Bi color. But why not try V + GB [BBV Bi], to get a similar but slightly different tone. I might try V + OY to get a warm tone dominated by O and slightly neutralized by B in the V mix. This is not one of Maratta’s listed combinations. One can create these subtle shifts as one sees fit for your specific image. I hope this answers some of your questions.
Yes, its revealing that I can stop trying to find a pattern and instead follow Marattas principles. Thanks for your reply, it was very helpful. I will continue trying palettes with the help from your books. I’m very grateful for your work with them, it’s so much useful information there!
Hello. I understand the reasoning for the 3 primary Bi colours, but not for the others. For them it seems arbitrary. What is the rational you used to select the colours for them? Thank you, Paul.
Hi Paul- Thanks for your question. The idea of a unified and harmonious palette rests on the concept that the root colors appear in every mixture. If you look at the design of the Full Spectrum Palette, one can see how the root notes of the top line become integrated in the Bi colors and the Hues. The Bi colors are created using two of the mixtures from the top line. These two mixtures contain an incremental amount of a complementary pair. This is what reduces the intensity of the Bi colors. Could I mix a Bi color in a different way? Probably. But note that the way Henri and Maratta set up the palette, I only need to mix these two root notes together to get the perfect balance in the neutralization. They are placed half-way between the top line at full intensity and the bottom line of the most most neutralized notes. Refer to p. 49 to see the proper combined mixtures.