Colors must fit together as pieces in a puzzle or cogs in a wheel.
Interpretation
Colors should harmonize and complement each other, similar to how puzzle pieces or cogs work together.
This quote by Hans Hofmann emphasizes the importance of harmony and unity in art, particularly in the context of color. Just as puzzle pieces fit together to create a complete image and cogs in a wheel must work in unison for the mechanism to function effectively, colors in a composition should interact in a way that enhances the overall aesthetic, creating a cohesive and impactful visual experience.
In practice
An art class discussing the importance of color theory might reference this quote to illustrate color relationships.
Color is a plastic means of creating intervals... color harmonics produced by special relationships, or tensions. We differentiate now between formal tensions and color tensions, just as we differentiate in music between counterpoint and harmony.
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If I were called upon to define briefly the word Art, I should call it the reproduction of what the senses preceive in nature, seen through the veil of the soul.
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