Nicholas Ogden Rood

His interest in colours encompassed the scientific and artistic points of view, and both these aspects underlay his attempts to impose a systematic order on colours. In addition to a double cone with a black and a white tip, Rood produced a «scientific» colour-circle which he had constructed on the basis of experiments using rotating discs, a colour-point being placed precisely opposite its complementary partner. (Detailed text)


Date: In 1879, the American physicist Nicolas Odgen Rood published his research and findings on physiological optics.

Country of origin: USA

Basic colours: Red, green and blue

Form: Circle

Related systems: MaxwellMunsell

Bibliography: N. O. Rood, «Modern Chromatics with Application to Art and Industry», Chicago 1879; F. Birren, «Principles of Color», New York 1969; A. Hope und M. Walsh, «The Color Compendium», New York 1990.