The Interaction of Colour: Cristea Roberts Gallery

In 1963 Josef Albers (1888 - 1976) published one of the most influential art and design books of the twentieth century, Interaction of Color, as a handbook and teaching aid for his experimental way of observing, studying and teaching colour. It was the culmination of his groundbreaking courses first begun at Black Mountain College, North Carolina, and later at Yale, Connecticut, and was to have a marked effect on subsequent generations of artists. In his teaching and writing, Albers eschewed the historical approach to colour theory as a logical, formal scientific analysis, instead focusing on the unique behavioral properties of colour based on observation and practical application. For Albers, the nature of colour was an ever shifting paradigm, whose properties were relative and fluid.

Albers radical teaching was to have a direct influence on the numerous artists who studied on his courses, but also came at a time when there was a wider discourse underway about the nature of representation. Geometric abstraction as a vehicle for exploring the relationship of colours was being practiced internationally by artists aligned to a diverse array of movements including Pop, Op, and Minimalism, and still is today by many contemporary artists. This exhibition traces a period of over 50 years and includes prints and drawings by artists from Josef Albers and Ian Davenport to Bridget Riley, which will be exhibited together with a new site-specific installation by Rana Begum.

Above text and images courtesy of Cristea Roberts Gallery.