Optical Red

[Claudemir Bonfim]

Originally Posted by Alexandra Tyng

Very interesting, Allan! Thanks for posting this. An idea is forming in my head about the color of the object in relation to the color of the halo. I think maybe the halo is one step less bright or less direct because it is refracted off the object.

I use paint to make that effect, but I've seen some painters using maroger with a little mixed white and others just mixing the edges. Well, the result is the same anyway.

[Allan Rahbek]

Another example, by J. S. Sargent, from the great painting of Charles Stuart carrying the Great Sword at the Coronation of King Edward # 7.
By the firm handling of the effect it looks as this was a routine "trick" from Sargent.
Allan

[Richard Budig]

Here are some words from the

[Alexandra Tyng]

Richard, this is wonderful! Just the kind of information we were needing. As I was suspecting, "optical red" is one of a whole spectrum of light halos. The color of the halo, if I am digesting this correctly, is determined by the color of the object off of which light is refracting, and the color of what is behind it.

Does the color of the refracted light lean towards the red end of the spectrum in comparison with the color of the object itself in direct light? I have noticed that the atmospheric color, which shows up as an object turns away from the source of light, is usually slightly more towards the red end of the light spectrum than the color of the object in direct light.

[Julie Deane]

Here's a sample by Kramskoy

http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/databa...ge.asp?id=6026

What I see if I look closely at his silhouette, is that the background is lighter where his head touches, and that the hair has a slightly redder tinge in places as it touches the background.

[Richard Budig]

Alexandra:

If I'm not mistaken, it says that the color of the light source extends itself into surrounding space. This is actually a color influence rather than a repeated color. The color of light blends into the color of the background.

So, if the color of your light was warm, and the color of the head/flesh was was warm, you'd get a "warm halo," so to speak -- wouldn't you?

However, if the color of light is blending with the background, and the light source is warm, and the background is cool, you'd get the cancelling effect of mixing a warm and cool. Again, a question mark.

Let's get some really good minds going on this . . . . . . .

[Alexandra Tyng]

I was thinking of optical red: it is redder than the skintones. But maybe that is simply a darkening effect, i.e., the mixing of the light refracting off the lit surface of skin combined with the color of the background. Certainly the halo of white is like a darkened white, not tending towards yellow.

Julie, in that portrait by Kramskoy, it's the opposite effect: a halo (or inverse circle) effect of the light background intruding into the edge of the darker figure! How clever of you to notice the relationship between this and what we have been talking about! Wow, this is getting exciting. I think the two phenomena are definitely two sides of the same coin (I'm not sure how coins come into this, but anyway...).

[Allan Rahbek]

Trying to discover the truth of light, or color, I would recommend to ask Garth Herrick why he changed the frame and painted it in a color more alike the colors in his "Apotheoun" !

Just a thought, Allan

[Jean Kelly]

Hi all,

I took this photo Thursday night. It's call a wolf moon, and happens when the light from a full moon reflects on ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.

Nature is the best teacher!

Jean

[Carol Norton]

Originally Posted by Jean Kelly

Hi all,

I took this photo Thursday night. It's call a wolf moon, and happens when the light from a full moon reflects on ice crystals in the upper atmosphere.

Nature is the best teacher!

Jean

Oh, my what a gifted group. What a pleasure it is to just be a part of this. Thank you, Jean.