Our visual perception is context-dependent; we are not good at seeing things in isolation.
Smith, Alan. How Charts Work (p. 217). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.
Our propensity to be influenced by context applies to a range of visual properties, not just colour.
Smith, Alan. How Charts Work (p. 217). Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.
related to: Visual Encoding, Colour
Colour Model, The Physics and Psychology of Colour - with Andrew Hanson, ¶ All About Colour - Colour Science