Complementary colors are those that are opposite each other on the color wheel. These two colors will make each other appear brighter and more intense when they are used together in a composition.
Paul Gauguin made use of complementary colors in many of his paintings, particularly in his famous work “La Orana Maria.” The colors he chose for this piece include orange and blue, yellow and purple, and red and green. These hues create a sense of vibrancy and energy in the painting that helps to add interest to its design.
The use of complementary colors can also be used to create a sense of harmony and balance in a composition. In “La Orana Maria,” Gauguin uses these bold hues to unify all of the different elements within his painting’s frame—including people, animals, plants and even geometric shapes—so that everything works together seamlessly without feeling disjointed or cluttered by too much visual information being crammed into one place at once!
The use of complementary colors is just one way that Paul Gauguin was able to create such beautiful work over time; he also made use of other techniques such as perspective (which creates depth), color theory which helps us understand how certain combinations make us feel differently about what we see.
