Local color (visual art)

In painting, local color is the color of an object when seen under flat white light with no adjustment for form shadow or colors of light or secondary light sources. An example would be the assumption that an apple is "red" when it is actually dependent on the color of the light hitting it, color of objects around it, glossiness, and variations within the colors on the surface of the apple itself. Local color is learned in childhood to help simplify and make sense of the world. Coloring books reinforce the idea of simplifying colors. "The sky is blue", "grass is green", etc. when there are actually myriad variations in hue, chroma, within these areas. In order to represent objects realistically, painters must look beyond the simplifications of local color. Demonstrations of color constancy show how flawed local color assumptions can be when the light source has a color shift.

In contemporary sculpture local color is the original color of the raw material that remains unpainted in the completed work.

External links

Local color at ArtLex

Color topics

Color science

Color physics	Electromagnetic spectrum Light Rainbow Visible Spectral colors Chromophore Structural coloration Animal coloration Color of chemicals Water Spectral power distribution Colorimetry
Color perception	Chromesthesia Sonochromatism Color blindness Achromatopsia Dichromacy Color calibration Color constancy Color task Color code Color temperature Color vision test Evolution of color vision Impossible colors Metamerism Opponent process Afterimage Unique hues Tetrachromacy The dress
Color psychology	Color symbolism Color preferences Lüscher color test Kruithof curve Political color National colors Chromophobia Chromotherapy
Color reproduction	Color photography Color balance Color cast Digital image processing Color management Color printing Multi-primary color display Quattron Color model additive RGB subtractive CMYK Color space Color mapping

Color
philosophy

Color scheme	Color tool Monochromatic colors black-and-white Complementary colors Analogous colors Achromatic colors (Neutral) Polychromatic colors Light-on-dark Web colors Tinctures in heraldry
Color theory	Color mixing Primary color Secondary color Chromaticity Color solid Color wheel Color triangle Color analysis (fashion) Color realism (art style) On Vision and Colours (Schopenhauer) Theory of Colours (Goethe)

Color terms

Basic terms	Blue Green Red Yellow Pink Purple Orange Black Gray White Brown
Cultural differences	Linguistic relativity and the color naming debate Blue–green distinction in language Color history Blue in culture Color in Chinese culture Traditional colors of Japan Human skin color
Color dimensions	Hue Dichromatism Colorfulness Pastel colors Luminance Lightness Darkness Brightness Iridescence Fluorescence Grayscale Tint, shade and tone

Color
organizations

Names

Lists	List of colors: A–F List of colors: G–M List of colors: N–Z List of colors (compact) List of colors by shade List of color palettes List of color spaces List of Crayola crayon colors history Color chart List of RAL colors List of web colors
Shades of:	Red Orange Yellow Green Cyan Blue Violet Purple Magenta Pink Brown White Gray Black