Josef Albers put into perspective

Abstract

Josef Albers (1888-1976) undoubtedly has outstanding achievements both as an artist and as a colour teacher. Even if these can hardly be separated from each other, it is primarily Albers's didactic work that is to be examined here and put in perspective. This seems to be appropriate especially in the current situation where a new orientation in colour education is increasingly being tackled on an international level - first and foremost by the Colour Literacy Project. With its approach based on perception and experience, the project rightly refers to Josef Albers and his Interaction of Color [1-2]. The work and its creator are widely perceived in a rather glorified way, but we should not lose sight of the fact that Albers also had his predecessors and that his work is by no means as original as it is often portrayed. Furthermore, certain aspects of his conception of colour are considered outdated today. The aim of this article is to show this and thus to give Albers's undeniably unique work its proper place within the framework of a contemporary didactic approach.