Dyschromatopsias and pictorial art

The influence of color vision defects on pictorial art was studied using three methods. 1) From a theoretical standpoint, the possibilities of choice of the color-blind painter are determined by the nature of his color perception. Characteristic errors result from the fact that he has to choose between many hues which are different to a normal individual but which all look the same to him. 2) Evaluation of the clinical cases of painters with dyschromatopsias has shown evidence of the following: a) the color-blind painter makes mistakes according to the type of color defect; b) if the color-blind painter makes several copies of the same model, he makes different mistakes at each attempt; c) when several color-blind painters make copies of the same model, they also make different mistakes, even when they suffer from the same type of color vision defect. Preferences for some colored patterns were studied by means of a forced choice procedure and choices of color-blind individuals were often characteristic of their dyschromatopsia. Recent clinical case of acquired dyschromatopsia reported in the literature are discussed, as is a personal case of a painter suffering from tapeto-retinal degeneration. This was a severe dyschromatopsia with a neutral zone in purple (so-called scotpic axis, by Verriest's terminology). The painting of this artist tended to be monochromatic, mainly in green and green-blue colors. 3) Recent studies in art history have shown that only the romantic etcher Meryon was definitively color deficient. The more dubious cases of the Polish painter Grottger and of Eugène Carrière are discussed and conclusions are negative. Among acquired dyschromatopsias, there have been many recent papers devoted to cataract dyschromatopsias, concerning the cases of Rouault, Monet and Mary Cassatt. The hypothesis of a degree of chromatopsia or dyschromatopsia of toxic origin in the case of Van Gogh is also assessed. In conclusion, the problem of the relations between congenital or acquired dyschromatopsias and pictorial art seems very complex and great care is required when making deductions and advancing hypotheses.