In the Book by Josef Albers 'Interactions of Color (p. 3.50th Anniversary Edition. Yale University Press)
he writes:
If one says "Red" (the name of the color)
and there are 50 people listening,
it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds.
And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different.
Even when a certain color is specified which all listeners have seen innumerable times-such as the red of the Coca-cola signs which is the same red all over the country-they will still think of many different reds.
Even if all the listeners have hundreds of reds in front of them from which to choose the Coca-cola red, they will again select quite different colours. And no-one can be sure that he has found the precise red shade.
he writes:
If one says "Red" (the name of the color)
and there are 50 people listening,
it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds.
And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different.
Even when a certain color is specified which all listeners have seen innumerable times-such as the red of the Coca-cola signs which is the same red all over the country-they will still think of many different reds.
Even if all the listeners have hundreds of reds in front of them from which to choose the Coca-cola red, they will again select quite different colours. And no-one can be sure that he has found the precise red shade.
And even
if that round red Coco-Cola sign with the white name in the middle
is actually shown so that everyone focuses on the same red,
each will receive the same projection on his retina,
but no one can be sure whether each has the same perception.
When we consider further the associations and reactions
which are experienced in connection
with the color and the name, probably everyone will diverge again in many different directions.
if that round red Coco-Cola sign with the white name in the middle
is actually shown so that everyone focuses on the same red,
each will receive the same projection on his retina,
but no one can be sure whether each has the same perception.
When we consider further the associations and reactions
which are experienced in connection
with the color and the name, probably everyone will diverge again in many different directions.
What does this show?
First it is hard, if not impossible to remember distinct colours. This underscores the important fact that the visual memory is very poor in comparison with our auditory memory. Often the latter is able to repeat a melody heard only once or twice.
Second, the nomenclature of color is most inadequate. Though there are innumerable colours-shades and tones-in daily vocabulary, there are only about 30 color names.
First it is hard, if not impossible to remember distinct colours. This underscores the important fact that the visual memory is very poor in comparison with our auditory memory. Often the latter is able to repeat a melody heard only once or twice.
Second, the nomenclature of color is most inadequate. Though there are innumerable colours-shades and tones-in daily vocabulary, there are only about 30 color names.
