The document provides an overview of the history and theory of the color wheel. It discusses how Sir Isaac Newton first developed the color wheel by splitting white light into a visible spectrum using a prism. Johannes Itten later modified Newton's color wheel, basing it on red, yellow, and blue primary colors with twelve total hues. The document also outlines some cultural, political, and religious associations that different colors can have.

1. Survey of World Art
TThhee CCoolloorr WWhheeeell
Lesson Objective: Students will
recreate the color wheel using
original designs.

2. The Color Wheel

3. History of Color Theory
• The first color wheel was invented by Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727).
He was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer,
natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian.
• He invented the reflecting telescope and developed a theory of
colour based on the observation that a prism (wedge shaped glass)
decomposes white light into a visible spectrum.
• He split white sunlight into red, orange, yellow, green, cyan (violet) , and
blue beams; then he joined the two ends of the color spectrum
together to show the natural progression of colors.

4. Current Color Theory
• The current form of color theory was developed by Johannes Itten
(1888-1967), a Swiss color and art theorist who was teaching at the
School of Applied Arts in Weimar, Germany. This school is also known
as 'Bauhaus‘ (1919-1933).
• Johannes Itten modified the color wheel. Itten's color wheel is based
on red, yellow, and blue colors as the primary triad and includes twelve
hues.

5. Psychological/Cultural Meanings of Colors
1. Cultural associations: the color of currency, traditions, celebrations,
geography, etc. (For example, green is associated with heaven
(Muslims) and luck (U.S. and Ireland)
2. Political and historical associations: the color of flags, political
parties, royalty, etc. (For example, green is the color of Libya's flag;
it’s the favorite color of Emperor Hirohito and the source of "Green
Day" in Japan, and in the U.S., the Green Party.)
3. Religious and mythical associations: the colors associated with
spiritual or magical beliefs (For example, in contemporary Western
culture, green is associated with extraterrestrial beings.)

6. Primary Colors

7. Secondary colors

8. Tertiary Colors

10. Tint and Shade
Shade
Adding black is referred to
as a shade.
Tint
Adding white to a color is
known as a tint.

11. Intensity
Brightness or dullness of a color

12. 1. Write 1 on the primary colors
2. Write 2 on the secondary colors
3. Write 3 on the tertiary colors

13. 1
2 2
1 1
2
3
3 3
3
3 3