Instead of art I have taught philosophy. Though technique for me is a big word, I never have taught how to paint. All my doing was to make people to see.
Josef AlbersRead
Simultaneous contrast is not just a curious optical phenomenon – it is the very heart of painting. Repeated experiments with adjacent colors will show that any ground subtracts its own hue from the colors which it carries and therefore influences.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Simultaneous contrast describes how colors affect one another, highlighting their interplay in painting.
Josef Albers emphasizes the essential role that color interaction plays in painting through the principle of simultaneous contrast. This phenomenon illustrates that the perception of a color is influenced by the colors surrounding it, thereby affecting the overall composition and impact of the artwork. Understanding this concept is crucial for artists as it helps them manipulate colors effectively to enhance their artistic expression.
Themes
ColorArtContrastPaintingPerception
In practice
Example use cases
An art instructor might use this quote to teach students about color theory.
More from Josef Albers
All quotes →When we are honest - that's my saying - if we are honest then we will reveal ourselves. But we do not have to make an effort to be individualistic, different from others.
Josef AlbersRead
Ah, the creative process is the same secret in science as it is in art. They are all the same absolutely.
Josef AlbersRead
Traditionally art is to create and not to revive. To revive: leave that to the historians, who are looking backward.
Josef AlbersRead
In order to use color effectively it is necessary to recognize that color deceives continually.
Josef AlbersRead
The aim of our studies is to prove that color is the most relative means of artistic expression, that we never really perceive what color is physically.
Josef AlbersRead
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