When two complements are placed next to each other they intensify and brighten. Let’s explore why.
Stare at the flag for thirty seconds without blinking or moving your eyes. Pick a spot near the center of the flag that you can focus on and stare hard. Maybe sing a verse of the Star Spangled Banner just to amuse yourself...
After you have finished staring, look at a white wall or white piece of paper, and stare at it for a minute. You may want to blink a few times. Do you see the flag a bit better now? You should see an afterimage that is in red, white, and blue colors!
So what is happening? When you stare at a colored image for a long time, the color sensors in your eyes become tired (retina fatigue). When you look at a white surface, your eyes tend to see the color that is the opposite of the color they were just looking at. This is called an afterimage. The flag is red, white and blue; the complementary colors to these are green, black and orange. These are the colors used to make the flag on the previous page. Remember that white light is made from all the colors of the spectrum. If you temporarily “fatigue” certain color receptors in your eye, you will see the opposite color for awhile. This is why complementary colors intensify each other when they are brought close together. For example, when blue is next to orange, both colors will intensify.
