Complementary colors are colors across from one another in the color wheel. Artists would sometimes put these colors next to each other.  Notice what happens when they pair these colors.

Red & Green

 

 

Van Gogh really liked to use these colors but there are lots of examples in the galleries!  Can you find them?

Does the red look different when it is next to the green? Does the green look more intense?

Tap another color to explore more.

Detail: Vincent van Gogh, Dutch, 1853–1890, Olive Trees, 1889, Oil on canvas. Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust, 32-2.