IN the modern school of painting which depends for its effects upon color more than any other single factor, the lack of some solid basis for its constructive use has been felt as a serious drawback, and many modern artists have applied themselves to the problem. Of these efforts that of Mr. Henry Fitch Taylor, one of the leaders of the modern movement, is by far the most practical, interesting, and simple, and will prove highly suggestive to those who wish to bring into their homes a broader, more expressive, and inspiring use of color.

For a great number of years it has generally been suspected that some correlation existed between the underlying principles of musical harmony and color harmony. Recently, in Mr. Rimmington's color organ and Scriabin's color symphony there have been fresh attempts to develop this relationship, and though they may not have demonstrated their scientific value to the satisfaction either of musicians or artists, they were based on the very plausible assumption that some definite relationship existed between the unit of musical composition - the octave, and the unit of color composition - the spectrum.

When Mr. Taylor began to look around for some basis for a system of color organization, this analogy between music and color naturally presented itself. An adequate system of color organization, he believed, should be one by which groups of colors selected from the spectrum would not only harmonize, but be so related to one another that each would have its distinctive character and mood. Such a system had long been worked out for the use of musical composers, and it seemed to him that the same might be applied to color composition.

Hitherto experimenters had determined the notes of the chromatic spectrum scale by the number of light vibrations, but Mr. Taylor decided to determine this according to their physical position in the spectrum band. Having thus established a chromatic scale, he applied the musical laws governing the various keys both in the major and the minor, in order to discover if he could obtain that way groups of colors which would at the same time harmonize and express in their combination a distinctive mood or feeling. A few experiments along these lines soon convinced him that the results obtained were highly suggestive, and if the system could be worked out into some simple form of presentation, would be of invaluable assistance to all those who worked with color.

The remarkably simple form of presentation which he finally arrived at after two years of constant application, is known as the Taylor color chart and is diagramed on page 263. The spectrum is divided according to the generally accepted Frauenhofer divisions and two or more octaves of graded tones laid together. On this is placed a perforated mask with eight openings corresponding mathematically to the eight intervals of the harmonical key of the pianoforte. As the first note of the musical key is the dominant note of that key, so the first opening of the mask gives the dominant note of the color harmony. By sliding the mask back and forth on the spectrums, the harmony of any color required may be obtained. For instance, if the color harmony of red orange is desired, the first opening of the mask is simply placed on the red orange section of the spectrum, and the seven colors which make a characteristic harmony with red orange show through the remaining seven openings of the mask, the last note repeating the first as it does in the musical key.

Among the many valuable uses for this chart, its importance in interior decoration must be readily apparent. While the artist may experiment with color and arrive at the desired effect at the expense of a few sections of canvas, experimentation in decoration is far more costly and often leads to its over cautious and uninteresting use. Through the chart one is supplied with seven fundamental colors which can be used safely together in any combinations, while all the other laws we have been acquainted with thus far only supplied two or three.

Its second source of value is the information we obtain from it of what colors to combine to express a definite feeling or idea. This is of great significance in building up the idea in a scheme of decoration.

Its third source of value, and an exceedingly vital one, is gained through the application of the laws which govern the making of musical chords to the making of color combinations. By this means we are enabled to form seven groups of three colors each which are chords or harmonies in themselves, and which together form a whole or complete harmony. Thus if we have groups of three, four, or more related rooms to furnish, we have only to select groups of related chords in order to be supplied with individual color schemes which harmonize with one another and present beautifully modulated vistas.

For the purposes of the simpler kinds of home decoration, a tabulation of some of the most fundamental harmonies taken from the chart and an explanation of their use will perhaps be sufficient to open for everybody wide avenues of new possibilities in color.