The Day I Saw Van Gogh's Genius in a New Light

The Day I Saw Van Gogh’s Genius in a New Light

Japanease version

The other day, I experienced the “Color Vision Experience Room” at the event of the Hokkaido Color Universal Design Organization (HCUDO), where I had invited to speak. The event’s main objective was to educate the public about the diversity of color vision which exists in our society. The event also sought to promote the idea that any time we make choices about colors, we should take this diversity into account.

The “Color Vision Experience Room” uses illumination filtered by an optical filter - providing a modified spectrum of light. In this room, the person who has normal color vision sees color the same as the person who has protan or deutan color vision. These types of color deficiency mean that certain color combinations are difficult to differentiate. I was impressed by the effort and thought that had made this room a reality.

I was able to view various items in the room, and it turned out that experiencing modified color vision by the naked eye had a stronger impact than experiencing it on a computer display in simulation. This was a revelation to me.

There were prints of Vincent van Gogh’s paintings in the room. Under the filtered light, I found that these paintings looked different from the van Gogh which I had always seen. I love van Gogh’s paintings and have been fortunate to view a number of the originals in various art museums. This painter has a somewhat strange way to use color. Although the use of color is rich, lines of different colors run concurrently, or a point of different color suddenly appears. I’ve heard it conjectured that van Gogh had color vision deficiency.

However, in the van Gogh images seen in the color vision experience room, to me the incongruity of color and roughness of line had quietly disappeared. And each picture had changed into one of brilliance with very delicate lines and shades. This was truly wonderful experience.

The next day, I had a dinner with the people of HCUDO, and we talked about this phenomenon. One of my friends who has protanomal color vision, a designer and painter, said this to me:

“Isn’t it wonderful? We color deficient people have understood Gogh’s true wonderfulness and we have said that he is the genius of geniuses. But color normal people do not understand it well, seemingly. Gogh was surely color vision deficiency. Therefore, color deficient people can better understand his pictures. ”

I considered this well. And after returning home, I viewed van Gogh’s picture using the “Chromatic Vision Simulator” software which I had developed. However, the images simply lost their color and the sublime impression I got in the “Color Vision Experience Room” was missing.

Then it occurred to me to ask - Was van Gogh partially color vision deficiency (anomalous trichromat)? Perhaps using a strong color vision deficiency (dichromat) simulation was the wrong approach. How about carrying out the simulation by removing the middle portion of normal color vision, maybe then I could see van Gogh’s pictures in a better light?

I have developed application software for experiencing differing types of color vison called “Chromatic Vision Simulator” with versions for iPhone, iPad, iPod, and Android. It is limited to simulating only dichromats (protanope, deuteranope and tritanope). Originally, a slider had been been attached to version 1.0 of the application, wherein one could modify the middle range of color of dichromatic vision versus normal color vision. However, the slider has been deleted from the newest version due to some specialist’s opinion that: “The slider should be deleted because color vision of an anomalous trichromat is not simulated by simple linear transformation, it may create misunderstanding to those using the software.” However, following my experience from the “Color Vision Experience Room,” I decided I should revisit this software again.

I passed two days in my workplace, and created a new software application that allows for side-by-side color vision simulation. Since this software is a web application, I may exhibit it in the future. (*2011/12/15 The software is now released!) It is able to map a middle color - one between the color a protanope sees and the color a color normal individual sees. I applied to it to van Gogh’s pictures. The results are shown below (with my personal comments - note that I do not claim deep knowledge of art!)

To illustrate the simulation performed here, consider the meaning of “Protanomal simulation (60%).” This is, when an original color is Q_c and the simulation color of protanope is Q_p where linear transformation is possible between XYZ color space, the new color is Q_c (1 - 0.6) + 0.6Q_p.

Such a transformation will provide a color closer to the color which protanope sees. This color may not necessarily be the same as the color a protanomal (and other anomalous trichromat) sees but it is a useful starting approximation. As time allows, one test improvement I have am considering is to run the simulation for deuteranomal color vision. However, for the time being, I have run it with protanomal simulation.

Van Gogh’s “The Harvest.” In the original, what should be wheat is an orange field; above we have green lines mixed with solar light. In the protanomal simulation, the wheat shade backs up the overall presence splendidly and has given depth to the scene. With the reduced sun, I feel that the twilight of autumn is reproduced.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)



The painting of a Lady with a Parasol Crossing the Bridge. In the original, the bridge is reflected in the river but it is somewhat surreal. However it projects more naturally in the protanomal simulation. The water surface shimmers with small waves.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

Overall force was increased in “The Starry Night.” Contrast the deep darkness and starlight. Clouds are illuminated in the moon.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

The scene with Flower Garden begins to take on a photographic reality. The scene has gained depth, so that it gives the impression of an overlook.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

“The Road Menders.” In the original, the color of the trees and ground is bit strange, and coarse lines are conspicuous in the stones. But after conversion, the trees and the ground begin to look solid, and depth is felt for the road.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

It was truly impressed by “The Sower.” A field in the early-evening. Unevenness of the ground is compared with the light of the sun on the horizon. A farmer casts a shadow. The clods become solid. It seems that footsteps could almost be audible.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

Another highlight is “The Sunflower.” Flowers are more tangible. The Sunflower is such a wonderful picture.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

And “The Cafe Terrace at Night.”

Each of the stones in the stone pavement become more solid. The building of the slender cafe’s terrace emerges with depth in the moonless night. Under the stars in the infinite sky, people relax and are enjoying a meal and drinks. And the warm light illuminates them.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

A self-portrait. Stern expression—the man whom one cannot approach easily. Though suffering is held, his aloof and proud figure which dies without compromise emerges further. I have been feeling it.

Left: Original / Right: Protanomal simulation (60%)

Finally I feel that van Gogh’s astounding qualities are available to me.

These qualities are not noticed by the color normal individual, and a dichromate may not notice either. Did van Gogh have protan or deutan color vision deficiency? He may have been an anomalous trichromat, to a degree somewhere between a dichmomat and normal color vision. Probably, he had found rules how to choose and use paints which were optimal to his eyes.

Van Gogh is the exemplar of “the color deficient individual is sometimes superior to the color normal color individual,” showing those of us who possibly tended to think, “the color normal individual is superior to the color deficient individual (from the point of seeing and understanding color).” It reminds us that it is normal for one human being to excel in certain ways, while another is excellent in other ways.

Of course, the premise of this guess may be wrong. Regardless of whether this hypothesis is correct or incorrect, the fact that his work is wonderful and appeals to many people does not change a bit. Still, it is enjoyable to imagine and see his works thinking that we share his eyes.

Disclaimers: Terms, such as dichromat, anomalous trichromat, normal color vision, protan, protanope, protanomal, deutan, deuteranope, deuteranomal and tritanope are technical terms. The simulation procedure used here is not necessarily reproduce the correct spectrum of the color seen by the color vision deficient.

Please see page 31 of my thesis ”Color vision tools to improve quality of life of people with color vision deficiency” about the details of the simulation procedure used. (Japanese language only.)

Please contact Mr. Koichi Iga (executive board member of Color Universal Design Organization) if you would like to know more about the “Color Vision Experience Room.” Use the form in his blog.

(2011/10/16 17:00, Japanease version is written at 2011/10/12 03:35)

Web application “CVS Image File Converter” which can create an image file of color vision diffident simulation easily is released on my web site. (Requires Adobe Flash Player.)

Kazunori Asada Web Site: http://asada.tukusi.ne.jp/

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