Which term refers to the dark and light variations within a color?

The term that refers to the dark and light variations within a color is indeed color value. In art, color value is a crucial concept that describes the relative brightness or darkness of a color. This characteristic helps to create depth, contrast, and balance in a composition.

Understanding color value allows artists to effectively manipulate light and shadow, enhancing the three-dimensionality of their work. A lighter value indicates a tint, created by adding white to a color, whereas a darker value indicates a shade, formed by adding black. By using various values of a single hue, artists can achieve a wide range of effects and convey different moods or atmospheres in their artwork.

The other terms mentioned relate to different aspects of color theory but do not specifically address the concept of light and dark variations. For instance, color saturation pertains to the intensity or purity of a color, while the color wheel illustrates the relationships between different colors. Color harmony focuses on the pleasing arrangement of colors in a composition, which may utilize variations in value but does not specifically define it.