What are the 3 Pure Colors?
The three pure colors, also known as primary colors in subtractive color mixing, are red, blue, and yellow.
Primary colors are fundamental because they cannot be created by mixing other colors. These colors form the basis for creating a wide range of other colors through mixing. Different fields may use slightly varied definitions, but in the context of art and basic color theory, red, blue, and yellow are consistently cited as the primary colors.
- Red: A vibrant hue, ranging from deep crimson to bright scarlet.
- Blue: Encompassing a spectrum from deep navy to light sky blue.
- Yellow: A cheerful color, varying from pale lemon to deep golden yellow.
Combining these primary colors produces secondary colors (e.g., mixing red and yellow creates orange). The provided references consistently support this understanding of primary colors in subtractive color mixing (e.g., Color Theory - First Source Worldwide, Primary colors are those pure colors that cannot be obtain by mixing with no other color from which obtain, together with white and black and any other color. The primary colors are red, blue, and yellow.).
It's important to note that the term "pure color" can also refer to the intensity and saturation of a color, as highlighted in the reference Color Theory: 7 Types of Color Purity. A pure color in this context would have a high level of saturation and minimal amounts of gray or other colors mixed in. However, the question specifically asks for the three pure colors, and within the context of subtractive color mixing, red, blue, and yellow remain the accepted answer.
