Interaction of Color

By Josef Albers

Book Overview

The 50th anniversary edition of a classic text, featuring an expanded selection of color studies

"The landmark 1963 book by Josef Albers . . . isn't just for aspiring artists. Its mesmerizing illustrations are a revelation for anyone interested in color theory and human perception."--Pilar Viladas, New York Times

"A visionary work."--Malcolm Jones, Newsweek

Josef Albers's classic Interaction of Color is a masterwork in art education. Conceived as a handbook and teaching aid for artists, instructors, and students, this influential book presents Albers's singular explanation of complex color theory principles.

Originally published by Yale University Press in 1963 as a limited silkscreen edition with 150 color plates, Interaction of Color first appeared in paperback in 1971, featuring ten color studies chosen by Albers, and has remained in print ever since. With over a quarter of a million copies sold in its various editions since 1963, Interaction of Color remains an essential resource on color, as pioneering today as when Albers created it.

Fifty years after Interaction's initial publication, this anniversary edition presents a significantly expanded selection of close to sixty color studies alongside Albers's original text, demonstrating such principles as color relativity, intensity, and temperature; vibrating and vanishing boundaries; and the illusion of transparency and reversed grounds. A celebration of the longevity and unique authority of Albers's contribution, this landmark edition will find new audiences in studios and classrooms around the world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0300179359
• ISBN13: 9780300179354
• Release Date: June 2013
• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

interaction of color by josef albers

excellent revised/expanded edition of the classic albers theory/anti-theory of color. the classic that most art schools continue to base their color courses on, this edition has more reproductions from the original collectors hand silkscreened edition and is nearly twice the number of pages.

interesting

I really liked the book, but it is more of a teachers manual than a book you can just pick up a read. You must do the experimentation yourself and so you must have time. The book did give me numerous new ideas to think about.

Squarely between art and science

Josef Albers was the Johannes Kepler of color. Kepler spent his life observing planetary motion, and distilling his observations down to simple laws of gravity. Change planets to color, and gravity to human vision, and you have Josef Albers. This book describes the gravitational laws of color. It has the whiff of simple perfection: you can't change one word without diminishing it. It is the bible of color interaction, and will remain so until an Isaac Newton comes along and explains these laws further. In the rare book collection, I had a look at the first edition, from 1963. It's this enormous book with lots of colored paper and plates for you to experiment with. I really wish it were still in print... I'd buy it at once.

The best source to learn about and understand color

As an art student at Idaho State University in 1970, we used this resource as a basis for our studies. To this date, I feel it is the one book from which I learned the real meaning of color and how we perceive it and how to make it do what we want it to do in the things we create. I have never seen an approach like this, and the color studies were the ultimate learning experience for me. There's nothing like it!