Elements of Color

I've been venturing into the art world this year, to learn more about color and color theory as part of my year-long study of color in the garden. I recently finished reading Elements of Color by Johannesburg Itten (Ravensburg Germany, 1961; and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, 2003). Elements is a simplified and condensed version of his treatise on the color system that Itten wrote about in his larger work, The Art of Color, which was published in Germany in 1961.

Faber Birren, who worked with Itten for many years, wrote the Forward and provides a brief biography. Itten (1888 - 1967) was born in Switzerland and trained as an elementary school teacher, and later became an expressionist painter, designer, teacher, and color theorist associated with the German Bauhaus school of art. He left the Bauhaus to operate his own art school in Berlin, where he developed the ideas for The Art of Color; he also started the School for Textile Design at Zurich, and founded the Museum Rietberg. He returned to Switzerland and became the director of the Arts and Crafts School and Museum. Some of his contributions include work on a twelve-point color star, and his discussion of "The Seven Color Contrasts". He encouraged students to learn color principles, but then rely on their inner voice and instinct to make color choices.

The book includes chapters on color physics, theory, and design; the color circle and color sphere; the seven color contrasts (hue, light-dark, cold-warm, complementary, simultaneous, saturation, extension); harmony, form and color; composition; and theories of color impression and expression. Color glossy pictures illustrate many of the color principles. All through the book, Itten refers to classic works of arts that illustrate the principles he is discussing. For example, Henri Matisse's "Le Collier d'Ambre" is cited as an example of contrast of hues for its pure colors of red, yellow, green, blue, red-violet, white and black.

I was intrigued by Itten's theory of why we experience successive contrast (the complementary after-image that appears on a white paper after staring at a vivid color, for example, the after-image of blue is orange; and (2) simultaneous contrast (two colors side by side are simultaneously affected by the after-image of the other, and each color appears tinged (for example, juxtaposed blue and yellow objects may appear to have a tinge of violet). His explanation is that brain wants to fill in the complementary color to complete the color spectrum. Interesting idea. He also has a good chapter on observing nature (Theory of Color Impression). He points out that shadows have color, that reflections distort images and color, that light appears differently when reflecting on various materials. These observations help the gardener as well as the artist.

I recommend this book for anyone interested in art or gardens. It is not long, and easy to read, but I found myself lingering over it to study the glossy examples, and look up the cited works of art to better understand concepts. This is the kind of book that I will pick up every year or so to reread and ponder, to continue learning about color.