Reproduction of colours partially concealed by transparent veils

Abstract

The aim of this work is to show that colours behind fine fabric veils appear remarkably constant. The observers' task was to adjust the colours of a Mondrian presented on a calibrated monitor to match the colours of another Mondrian of the same size and shape, placed below, covered by independently illuminated veils of different colours. In control tests, even the colours of the uncovered Mondrian themselves had to be matched. The results show a rather good performance of the observers in reproducing, with small differences in colour, both the uncovered and the veiled Mondrian. In the latter case the differences in colour between the original and the reproduced colours are about twice as great. The relatively good constancy of colour achieved seems to be due to the strong perceptual layering between Mondrian and veils. In addition to figural reasons, this layering is also due to the physical arrangement of the veils in relation to the Mondrian background, which greatly facilitates a stereoscopic view over relatively small distances.