The Bauhaus was a highly influential art and design school that operated in Germany between 1919 and 1933. It sought to combine fine arts with crafts and the latest technological advancements in order to create functional and aesthetically pleasing designs that could improve society. The Bauhaus had a major impact on architecture, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, and typography. One key area the Bauhaus influenced was color theory, through the work of Johannes Itten, a Swiss painter and color theorist who taught at the school.
Johannes Itten’s Background
Johannes Itten was born in 1888 in Südern-Linden, Switzerland. He displayed an early talent for painting and received training at the Stuttgart Academy of Art. In 1913, he began teaching at a private art school in Vienna run by the artist and architect Adolf Hölzel. Itten was influenced by Hölzel’s ideas about composition and focus on the use of color.
In 1916, Itten converted to Mazdaznan, a neo-Zoroastrian religious movement that promoted vegetarianism, fasting, and cleansing breathing techniques. These ideas on health and spirituality were important influences on Itten’s later work and teachings.
In 1919, Itten was invited by Walter Gropius to teach at the newly founded Bauhaus school. Gropius recognized Itten’s expertise in expressionist painting and color theory and felt he could make an important contribution to the school’s curriculum.
Itten’s Color Courses at the Bauhaus
At the Bauhaus, Johannes Itten was put in charge of a preliminary course that all students had to complete before entering specialized workshops. This Vorkurs or basic course focused on exploring materials, composition, and color. Itten’s approach was experimental, seeking to develop students’ creativity and self-expression through both theory and hands-on exercises.
A major component of the Vorkurs was Itten’s color instruction. He developed a systematic approach to understanding color based on three main variables:
Color Hue
This refers to the pigment of a color, ranging from red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo to violet. Itten identified twelve main hues but explored how subtle variations could be achieved by mixing pigments.
Color Value
This describes the lightness or darkness of a color, ranging from light to dark. Itten used a gray scale to demonstrate how any hue could be modified into different values.
Color Temperature
This classifies colors from warm (red, orange, yellow) to cool (green, blue, violet). Warm colors seem to advance in space, while cool colors recede. Itten explored how to create dynamic tensions through skillful use of color temperatures.
To systematically study color, Itten created color wheels, spheres, and contrasts. Students did color mixing exercises and made studies exploring effects like transparency and spatial illusion. Itten also had students create expressive abstract paintings focusing just on color.
Here is a summary of Johannes Itten’s key color theories and practices taught at the Bauhaus:
| Theory/Method | Description |
|---|---|
| Twelve-part color wheel | Dividing the color spectrum into twelve distinct hues for analysis |
| Value scales | Studying color lightness/darkness using black, white and gray gradients |
| Warm/Cool contrast | Exploring color temperature differences and interactions |
| Complementary colors | Pairing opposite hues to create vibrancy |
| Color mixing | Exercises in combining colors systematically to understand resulting hues |
| Abstract color studies | Paintings focusing just on color composition and emotional impact |
Itten’s color theory classes at the Bauhaus were very experimental and encouraged free self-expression. But they also built systematic knowledge about color that students then applied to their designs.
Influence on the Bauhaus and Beyond
Johannes Itten’s color instruction fundamentally shaped the Bauhaus curriculum during his tenure from 1919-1923. His Vorkurs course established color, along with form and materials, as essential knowledge for all students of design. Itten also collaborated with Bauhaus instructors such as Paul Klee to incorporate color theory into specialized workshops.
Beyond the Bauhaus, Itten’s ideas spread through his book The Art of Color which codified his principles and exercises. Itten’s color theories influenced a generation of modern artists, including Josef Albers who later continued teaching color at the Bauhaus. Itten’s emphasis on experiential learning and the Constructivist belief that color has emotional power remain relevant in art education today.
While at the Bauhaus, Itten often clashed with Walter Gropius over differences in educational philosophy. Itten’s mystical leanings and strict vegetarian requirements for students also faced resistance. In 1923, Itten resigned from the Bauhaus and was replaced by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy who brought a more technology-oriented approach to preliminary education. But Itten’s impact on color theory at the Bauhaus was fundamental during its foundational period.
Itten’s Color Theory Methods
Some key methods Johannes Itten used to teach color theory at the Bauhaus included:
– 12-Part Color Wheel – Organizing color hues into a logical wheel for analysis.
– Grayscale Studies – Examining color values by painting strips of black to white gradients.
– Color Mixing Exercises – Having students systematically mix primary pigments to learn resulting colors.
– Contrast Studies – Creating color combinations to analyze effects like simultaneous contrast.
– Temperature Paintings – Using warm and cool hues innovatively to create spatial tension.
– Abstract Compositions – Focusing on color themes and emotional impact through non-objective paintings.
– Rhythmic Series – Repeating color motifs in dynamic ways across a pictorial field.
– Material Studies – Incorporating paper, paint, textiles and found objects to explore color.
Itten emphasized experiential learning, having students conduct color experiments using different mediums and techniques to deepen their practical understanding. His exercises aimed to develop both an intuitive and analytical grasp of color relationships.
Conclusion
Johannes Itten was the key color theorist at the Bauhaus during its early developmental phase. His preliminary course established color as a vital area of study for all students by providing a systematic framework and innovative teaching methods. Itten examined color in terms of hue, value and temperature and used exercises like color wheels and abstract paintings to explore color’s expressive qualities. His focus on color theory and experiential learning influenced a generation of modern artists and designers and transformed the Bauhaus curriculum. While Itten left the Bauhaus after personality conflicts, his color theories and pedagogy continued to shape principles of design education based around creative experimentation and understanding the power of color.
