2. Value and Color Transitions
Aerial or Atmospheric Perspective is the illusion on canvas of space receding through color
hues and values. The color of the sky should convey the idea of indefinite distance.
3. Distance
As a landscape recedes from the foreground, it is the yellows that fade out first. This includes
yellow itself and all the mixtures that contain yellow, especially in the green tones. Notice
how the greens are much bluer in the distance. After the yellows disappear, the reds also
become faint. In the distance, even the purples in the hills will give way to an almost pure
blue, similar to the one in the sky.
4. Mists
The atmosphere contains “mists” made up of moisture or dust. Sometimes these mists are
heavy and pronounced, while at other times they are thin, but a landscape is always misty to
some extent. Objects in the foreground will be sharp and clear, while objects in the distance
will become less sharp.
It is a strange fact that when white recedes into the distance, it becomes both warmer and slightly darker.
It is easiest to observe on a partly cloudy day. Notice how clouds overhead are bright white, but then as
they move back into the distance, see how they take on a less bright, orange-colored cast. The undersides
of clouds, however, become lighter and cooler in the distance.
5. On a cloudy day you can see a different set of variables in a scheme. First of all
the mass of the sky as a unit or whole will be lighter than it will be on a
sunny day. This is because of the moisture high above the surface
capturing the light so that less of it falls upon the ground. This will
result in a darkening of earth values.
6. The Sky
•Go outside.
•Look overhead to the “top” or zenith of the sky, it will be a true violet-blue.
•Then, as you lower your eyes further, the color becomes blue-green.
•Next it takes on a yellowish-green cast,
•Then it takes on a rosy hue near the horizon. In the rosy gray haze, it also becomes
slightly darker.
7. The Ground
The flat ground contains “color colonies.” As the ground recedes, it is influenced more and
more by the sky and, as such, in general, it is becomes lighter and bluer. Intensity of color
diminishes, as does value, as objects recede in to the distance. A yellow sign or building will
look less and less “saturated” as it recedes in to the background. On a day when the sun is
clear and there is little moisture in the air, it will be harder to observe this atmospheric
transition. It is easier to see it on a gray, humid day.
In this painting, one can see the value and color transitions found at ground level.
8. The Eye Versus The Camera
The human eye can see 7,000,000 colors. A camera can register a little over 1,000 colors. Photos
are helpful but you should not rely on them for detailed color advice.
Note: The information presented here was taken from my notes while attending a graduate level Cityscape Painting
Class at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco; Fall 2015 with Dean M. Larson.
