Page 26 - Between light and shade

between light and shade, TRANSPARENCy and reflection

daylight
The light we are dealing with here, in this thin
atmospheric layer measuring barely 120 km thick
around the earth, has nothing to do with that
beyond in the universe, which we only discovered
a few decades ago thanks to the Hubble Space
Telescope.

The term “daylight” covers a vast number of
different realities. The intensity and colour tem-
perature of this light vary according to the lati-
tude, day of the year and time of day. It provides
direct or diffuse light depending on orientation,
cloud cover and the level of humidity in the air.

Its perceptible result depends, firstly, on the
natural environment and, secondly, on that
created by man.

At the same latitude and at the same relative
time, the crystal-clear light of Marrakech in
Morocco differs vastly from that which illumi-
nates the mists of Kagoshima in southern Japan.
An urban atmosphere also differs from a rural
atmosphere.

The colour temperature of “natural” light
varies between 2500° Kelvin at sunrise and sunset
to more than 5800° K at midday, and is modified
when reflected by a coloured surface. The colou-
red surfaces of the outdoor environment, which
is exposed to direct sunlight, thereby dictate the
colour of the diffused light. Light determines the

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