Michel-Eugène Chevreul
French chemist (Angers, 1786 – Paris, 1889), he is notably remembered for his studies on color and light perception and his influence on art, culminating in his work called "On the Law of Simultaneous Contrast of Colors and Colored Objects" (in French, "De la loi du contraste simultané des couleurs et de l'assortiment des objets colorés", 1839).
In 1824, he was appointed director of the dye department at the Gobelins Manufactory, where he was hired to solve the problem with black dyes that seemed defective despite having passed all quality processes. Ultimately, his work concluded by finding some defects in the colored dyes, while verifying the perfect quality of the black dyes, thus discovering that the perception of the black color varied depending on the color accompanying it.
Michel-Eugène's research on simultaneous contrast, the idea that adjacent colors alter each other's perception, provided a theoretical basis for artistic movements such as Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism. Artists like Georges Seurat and Paul Signac systematically applied this rule, now called the "Law of Simultaneous Contrast of Colors" (in English, "Simultaneous Contrasts"), using techniques like Divisionism to maximize the luminous and chromatic effect in their paintings. In practice, some artists chose not to mix primary colors on the palette but to paint them side by side on the canvas without combining them. This way, they allowed the viewer to generate the other colors solely through their perception in their own eyes, thus achieving a brilliance and strength in the work never seen before. This method was later called "retinal perception," alluding to the belief that these mixes occurred in the viewer's eyes and not on the canvas. This idea was based, in turn, on Isaac Newton's studies on the ray of light and the prism, presented in his work "Opticks" from 1704. The French scientist's theory also influenced the understanding and use of color in diverse fields, from textile design to horticulture and interior decoration.
Charles Blanc, another 19th-century color theorist, based his work on Chevreul's studies for his own book, "Grammar of the Arts of Drawing" (1951), which became an essential source for artists like Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. Blanc emphasized the importance of contrast and color harmony, adapting Chevreul's scientific principles to a broader and more accessible audience.
The contribution this remarkable chemistry scholar made to the world of art and science regarding the molecular behavior of matter was achieved through interdisciplinary research that opened new pathways in the understanding and application of color. His legacy endures in modern art education. The principles of color harmony and contrast are fundamental today for any study of visual art. Through his work, this chemist built a bridge between chemistry and art, profoundly enriching artistic expression and aesthetic appreciation.
