Ewald Hering - Color Theory

Color Theory

Hering disagreed with the leading theory developed mostly by Thomas Young and Hermann von Helmholtz. Helmholtz's theory stated that the human eye perceived all colors in terms of three primary colors: red, green, and blue. Hering instead believed that the visual system worked based on a system of color opponency. Hering's proposal is now widely recognized as nearer to the neurophysiological truth, while the red, green, blue primaries dominate in the engineering of color reproduction.

Hering looked more at qualitative aspects of color and said there were six primary colors, coupled in three pairs: red–green, yellow–blue and white–black. Any receptor that was turned off by one of these colors, was excited by its coupled color. This results in six different receptors. It also explained afterimages.