Color Realism

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Color Realism
In the audio “Ripping’ The Rainbow a New One” James Gleick explains how the young scientist, Isaac Newton uncovered the mysterious aspect of light. He carries out experiments to find out how and where do colors actually originate. He performed the first experiment using two prisms in a dark room to form a rainbow spectrum. The second experiment involved poking his own eye to see if there are disturbances to the ordinary color perception.
The earlier theories such as the one developed by Aristotle explains the aspects of color linking it to religion. He stated that light is directed to earth by a supreme being and the resulting colors we see are real colors of objects (WNYC Radio, n.p). Newton’s theory is based on experiments that try to challenge our ordinary common sense. He finds out that color is our visual experience psychological property. In his experiment, he tries to split further the blue light formed by the first prism, with the second prism which he finds out that it is indivisible. A poke in his eye demonstrated that the color perception could change depending on the light that comes our way.
Traditionally, people believed that color is a physical property of an object in that they have the distinct colors because they are colored. However, from Newton’s experiments and the latest research on the topic, a conclusion is reached that colors are a combination of the object’s physical property and the light that makes us see the object.

The mantis shrimp, an organism with the most complex visual system has sixteen color receptors, whereas humans have only three color receptors (WNYC Radio, n.p). This difference indicates that vision varies within living organisms whereby some can view a larger array of colors in a particular environment compared to others. Scientists believe that traditionally, some communities had no names for the “blue” color because they were unable to identify it. This phenomenon is evidenced by the absence of names referring to the color “blue” in the ancient books such as the Bible and Quran.

Work Cited
WNYC Radio (Producer). (n.d.) “Rippin’ the rainbow a new one” . Radiolab.org. New York Public Radio. Retrieved fromhttp://www.radiolab.org/story/211178-rip-rainbow/