Since I was taught colour theory in Paul’s class, I found it interesting to learn colour theory originated from the Bauhaus school in Germany. The Bauhaus school taught design and art in the early 1900s. Revolutionary artists such as Johannes Itten and Josef Albers taught Bauhaus students about colour theory! The Bauhaus school ran from 1919 to 1933 was founded by architect Walter Gropius but closed down to the rise of Nazi power. The Bauhaus school is famous because it developed its style of design (referred to as the “Bauhaus Style”) and later become one the most influential styles in modern design, architecture, art, design, interior design, graphic design, typography, and architectural education.
Colour Theory:
Colour theory teaches aspects of colours such as hues being the brightest and purest colours, tints are made when hues are lightened with white, and shades are created when hues are mixed with darker colours such as black or grey. These colour variations are found on a colour wheel, and art students refer to them when trying to make different colour palettes.
Johannes Itten:
Johannes Itten (1888-1967) taught the Introductory course in colour at the Bauhaus school. He was a Swiss painter whose artworks feature lots of vibrant colours and shapes, and he taught students by using a colour sphere of 12 hues, developing the seven methods of colour contrast. He taught the contrast of hue, light and dark contrast, cold and warming contrast, the contrast of saturation, contrast of extension (assigning different weights of colours), the contrast of compliments (complementary colours), and simultaneous colours (similar colours that are close in tone).
Josef Albers:
Josef Albers (1888-1976) was a German artist and teacher at the Bauhaus school. Albers took part in photography, typography, made murals and did printmaking (but is best known for being an abstract painter and a theorist). He was considered the most influential teacher of the visual arts in the twentieth century and published a book about colour theory (“The Interaction of Color”) and the interaction of colours. Originally, Albers was a student at the Bauhaus school and later became a teacher there. Albers discovered that the “square as a form could be subservient to colour” and taught his students how specific colours interact with each other.
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I’m very intrigued with colour theory because I love giving my art pieces lots of colours and sometimes struggle deciding what colours compliment each other and interact the best with one another. The colour wheel helps me refer to which colours go well together, and I feel that the colour wheel saves me time when creating colour palettes.
Sources:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/bauhaus-color-theory.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus