They are called primary for a couple of reasons. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. The color wheel is made up of three different types of colors - Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo(blue-violet), and violet. If you follow around the color wheel, you will find the same order of the color spectrum. The color wheel was developed by Sir Isaac Newton by taking the color spectrum and bending it into a circle. Understanding each section of color theory fully, will help you better understand its importance in the creation of art. Each part of color theory builds on the previous. If color theory is simplified, it can be broken down into 3 parts- The color wheel, color value, and color schemes.
Color has an affect over how we feel about objects, how we behave, and how our bodies react to circumstances. It is an exciting, ever-changing science. This page, while thorough, will present color theory in an 'easy to understand' fashion. There are volumes and volumes of information available about color. Laws are accepted because they can be proven.
Color theory is defined as a theory because it cannot be proved. Theories are generally accepted, despite the fact that they cannot be proven. Color is the element of art that refers to reflected light.
