Developing the Bi Colors

Judith Reeve, Maple, Snowfall, 12 x 9, oil on board.

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.

Judith Reeve, The Bi Colors, The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, Volume 1, p. 49.

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

Those of you who pre-ordered the books from Amazon have recently been notified that they will be shipped out soon. I have heard this from artists, not from Amazon [who reveals nothing]. If you ordered the book many weeks ago, you may receive a notification asking you to confirm that you still want it. Make sure you confirm your purchase so you get in the queue.

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Thanks again for your patience! If you have any questions about anything in the book, just reach out and I will be happy to help you.

Thanks

A Chord Practical – The Color Investigations of Robert Henri

Judith Reeve, Chord R-YG-B in the Triangular format. All colors below
the R-YG line segment can be used.

In my new book, The Color Investigations of Robert Henri, I not only discuss Henri’s development of each palette design, but I also include a practical lesson at the end of each chapter. This is important because each artist must find their own way, transforming the palette to suit their individual needs and the needs of their image-making. The practicals form the foundation upon which each artist can begin their own investigations to further their practice. They can also incorporate pigments from their personal palette. Henri was strongly opposed to imitation and urged his students to discover and develop, through experimentation, the means and techniques necessary to assist their work.

In Volume 1, Chapter 8, I discuss Maratta’s various methods for setting limitations on the Full Spectrum Palette. His use of analogies and chords are two of these set limitations. Henri used chords throughout his life, and they constitute the primary design that spans his work from 1910 to 1929. There is something spectacularly beautiful and straightforward about this design that optically heightens color interaction and focuses the emotional tenor of one’s image, which Henri found most intriguing.

The practical I give in Chapter 8 is the major chord R-YG-B. This chord contains two primaries and one tertiary, indicating that it is a major chord. The illustrations, Volume 2, Image 8-10 and 8-11 display this chord using these pigments:

  • R: Permanent Madder Deep [PR 264] + English Red [synthetic iron oxide]
  • Y: Cadmium Yellow (W&N) + Viridian
  • YG= Y + B
  • B: Ultramarine Blue + Ivory Black

The combination of these pigments produces three root notes that are balanced in intensity across the chord and have less value contrast between the root notes. In this blog, I would like to demonstrate how this changes if the pigments vary in intensity and value across the root notes. If instead, I used:

  • R: Cadmium Red Vermilion + Permanent Madder Deep
  • Y: Azo Yellow Lemon (Old Holland) + Viridian
  • YG= Y + B
  • B: Ultramarine Blue French

Note that the YG is highly intense and of a much lighter value than the R and B. The R is also intense, but I have reduced its value and lowered its chroma by adding Permanent Madder Deep to the mix. The B is the weakest pigment and has the darkest value. By varying the choice of pigments, I can manipulate the value and intensity of the root notes to suit each image. This allows for an infinite variety within the same chord structure. As the root notes change, the character of the chord changes.

Chord R-YG-B, Partial Expansion, 3-9 mixes, including the Bi Colors and the Hues:

Judith Reeve, Chord R-YG-B, Line 2: Bi Colors; Line 3: Hues; N= neutral

Note that the root notes, when mixed, impart intensity to the Bi Colors. Note also how the intensity of the root notes extends into the Hues, maintaining a redness, greenness, and blue-grayness, and not becoming entirely neutralized. Note how this triad differs from the one in Volume 2, 8-10, where the Hues are neutralized to a greater extent (but still maintain their color character). The bottom neutral is derived from the root notes R-YG-B. This root note, YG, which at first appears impractical, is a color that Henri used quite often for flesh tones. This color appears again and again in the Paint Notebooks. When this YG is mixed with R, it creates a beautiful, warm flesh tone. I have used this mix consistently in my figurative work. The R here is the one I use frequently for both flesh tones and landscapes. Note the beautiful, more neutral tones in this chord. These tend to occupy transitional passages and those indescribable tones that are hard to identify. These tones harmonize well with the intense notes. They can also be used to reduce the intensity of any mix within the palette. Note the possible interplay between such colors as the R Hue and the G Bi color or the O Bi color and the B root note ( simultaneous contrast). These 9 mixes could be expanded to include 30 mixtures [See Volume 2, Image 8-11].

When you begin your experiments with the chords, try several pigments of different values and intensities and see where this leads you. Each artist has a specific key that they tend to work in. Setting the root notes to align with your personal key is one of the many advantages of this type of limited set palette. Henri expresses his thoughts with his students [who are studying a set palette derived from the Full Spectrum Palette],

I offer this one process, without prejudice, because I think that it will fit the ends I see you working for. You will find that by its use you will be able to acclaim the notes which give life to your subject, to make your canvas more rich and full, with harmony and contrast of color. It will help you in the simple net statements of value, whether they be values of color or values of black and white.

[The Art Spirit, p.36]