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law of successive contrast
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Four concentric circle diagrams show how surrounding colors affect perception: gray rings look greenish next to red and reddish next to green, while a central green appears cooler with yellow and warmer with blue-green backgrounds.
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law of successive contrast

optics
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Four concentric circle diagrams show how surrounding colors affect perception: gray rings look greenish next to red and reddish next to green, while a central green appears cooler with yellow and warmer with blue-green backgrounds.
Optical color change (Top) By complementary action, the same gray pigment will appear greenish when adjacent to red but reddish if adjacent to green. (Bottom) A green hue will seem cool if surrounded by yellow but warm when surrounded by blue-green.

The law of successive contrast describes how the perception of a color is affected by the colors that precede it. When you stare at one color and then shift your gaze to another, your brain creates a complementary color afterimage. This phenomenon, also known as chromatic adaptation, causes the new color to appear altered. For example, after viewing a green lawn, brown objects may seem reddish. This optical effect influences how we perceive colors and is a fundamental aspect of visual perception.1

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. colour - Colour effects
  2. painting - Color

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