Optical mixing is defined as what?

• A. Eyes blend brushstrokes of pure color to create a new intermediate tone
• B. A selection of colors found in a work of art
• C. Relating to geometry, regular lines and shapes
• D. Representational of nature

Answer: (A)

Optical mixing happens when the eye blends colors that are placed next to each other, so the viewer perceives a new intermediate tone even though the pigments aren’t actually mixed. That’s why the description says eyes blend brushstrokes of pure color to create a new intermediate tone. By putting tiny dots or strokes of adjacent colors on the canvas, the eye averages them at a distance and the perceived color emerges from this perceptual blending. This is different from physically mixing pigments on a palette, which changes the color chemically. The other statements don’t describe this perceptual color blending—they refer to a selection of colors in a work, geometric terms, or the subject matter.