What is the primary color opposite green on the color wheel? In the traditional artists’ color wheel, red is opposite green. This pairing is called complementary because the colors sit across from one another and create a strong visual contrast when placed side by side.
The traditional RYB model treats red, yellow, and blue as primary colors. Green is made by combining yellow and blue, so red is its complementary counterpart. Painters have long used this relationship to make colors appear more vivid, including in landscapes, portraits, and still lifes.
The answer depends on the color system being discussed. On an RGB screen-based color wheel, green’s complement is magenta, not red. In a painting question, however, “red and green” is the standard traditional-color-theory answer. Mixing complementary pigments tends toward a dull neutral brown, gray, or black because the combined pigments absorb more of the visible spectrum.