title: Chromatic Dimensions Earthy, Watery, Airy, and Fiery.
abstract: In our study, for a small number of antonyms, we investigate whether they are cross-modally or ideaesthetically related to the space of colors. We analyze the affinities of seven antonyms (cold-hot, dull-radiant, dead-vivid, soft-hard, transparent-chalky, dry-wet, and acid-treacly) and their intermediate connotations (cool-warm, matt-shiny, numb-lively, mellow-firm, semi-transparent-opaque, semi-dry-moist, and sour-sweet) as a function of color. We find that some antonyms relate to chromatic dimensions, others to achromatic ones. The cold-hot antonym proves to be the most salient dimension. The dry-wet dimension coincides with the cold-hot dimension, with dry corresponding to hot and wet to cold. The acid-treacly dimension proves to be transversal to the cold-hot dimension; hence, the pairs mutually span the chromatic domain. The cold-hot and acid-treacly antonyms perhaps recall Hering's opponent color system. The dull-radiant, transparent-chalky, and dead-vivid pairs depend little upon chromaticity. Of all seven antonyms, only the soft-hard one turns out to be independent of the chromatic structure.
authors.affiliation: CIMeC, and Department of Humanities, Trento University, Trento, Italy liliana.albertazzi@unitn.it.
authors.forename: Liliana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Albertazzi
authors.affiliation: KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumUtrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Koenderink
authors.affiliation: Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Doorn
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001244:Association; D003118:Color Perception; D003124:Colorimetry; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008037:Linguistics; D008297:Male; D011601:Psychophysics; D012660:Semantics; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chromatic dimensions; antonyms; cross-modality; ecological factors; experimental phenomenology