Techniques of the Impressionists: Broken Color

Broken color refers to a technique 'invented' by the Impressionists that is still used today by some artists. Contemporary Impressionist Jerry Fresia explains what broken color is and how to paint using broken color in his article Techniques of the Impressionists: Broken Color.

Jerry says: "Technically speaking, it goes like this: suppose I have an index card that is a permanent light green color. You can see it from across the room easily enough. Yup. That is green alright. Now we take an index card that is half, say, cerulean blue, and half cadmium yellow light. I put a hole in the middle of the card and I spin it like crazy. In principle, from across the room you will see a similar green but this time the green has more energy. It is alive. It mixes optically at a distance. That is what broken color is suppose to achieve – the actual sensation of light itself." Read more about using broken color in a painting...

^{Photo: © Jerry Fresia}