Amount of Gold: A Single Line is Enough

A space demonstrating how gold should be used sparingly. Gold appears only in extremely fine lines: a two-millimeter brass inlay strip on the edge of a cabinet door panel, a thin border in the rug pattern, a small copper nail at the intersection of screen lattice bars, and the edge of an incense burner. The total area is less than one percent of the image. The gold texture is oxidized dark gold, not mirror-bright gold, and its color is brownish. Because the surroundings are entirely matte dark wood, plain walls, and fabric, these fine gold lines become focal points and brighten the image. In one corner of the image, an overused version is shown for comparison: gold moldings, gilded carvings, and metallic bright surfaces appear simultaneously, immediately becoming gaudy. Avoid: making the two versions similar, using mirror-polished bright gold, making gold into a surface rather than a line, adding gilded carved decorations.

Translated from Chinese by AI.

一個示範金色如何節制使用的空間。金只出現在極細的線條上:櫃體門片邊緣的一道兩公釐黃銅嵌條、地毯圖案的一條細邊、屏風櫺條交會處的一顆小銅釘、以及一只香爐的邊緣。總面積不到畫面的百分之一。金的質地是氧化過的暗金而不是鏡面亮金,顏色偏褐。因為周圍全部是霧面的深木、素牆與布,這幾條細細的金線成為視線的落點與畫面的提亮。畫面一角以濫用的版本作對照:金色的線腳、貼金的雕花與金屬亮面同時出現,立刻俗豔。避免:讓兩者相似、使用鏡面拋光的亮金、把金色做成面而不是線、加入貼金的雕花裝飾。