Editorial Reviews
Josef Albers’s Interaction of Color is a masterwork in twentieth-century art education. Conceived as a handbook and teaching aid for artists, instructors, and students, this timeless book presents Albers’s unique ideas of color experimentation in a way that is valuable to specialists as well as to a larger audience.
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 representative color studies chosen by Albers. The paperback has remained in print ever since and is one of the most influential resources on color for countless readers.
This new paperback edition presents a significantly expanded selection of more than thirty color studies alongside Albers’s original unabridged text, demonstrating such principles as color relativity, intensity, and temperature; vibrating and vanishing boundaries; and the illusions of transparency and reversed grounds. Now available in a larger format and with enhanced production values, this expanded edition celebrates the unique authority of Albers’s contribution to color theory and brings the artist’s iconic study to an eager new generation of readers.
Customer Reviews
Best Color Book I have ever read,
2009-03-20
by Errol J. Dillon (Mississippi)
This is a really classic book. I can only say buy it & don't lend it out. Its a collector's item to me. Once you read it and try it you will have a new way of seeing everything in your environment. A must for anyone wanting to dicover the true meaning of color. I can't say enough about the mind opening abilities that this book has to offer. Buy it quick. If you do follow the instructions in this book you will be very amazed at how your knowledge of art will change. A one of a kind book. I had the opportunity to see the original book, made by Albers students. This is a taste of genius from a Master.
Albers, ,
2008-10-24
by Daniel Martínez (Buenos Aires - Argentina)
Is a little weird how the author presents his analysis, how he propose the reader should follow practising, images are good enough, it is a good book.
Old news,
2008-10-21
by Mark D. Gottsegen (Climax, NC USA)
"The Interaction of Color" was a great "art piece" for its time, but is now seen by most people who know more about color than Albers, as an explication of the obvious. It would be better for readers interested in color theory and practice to start mixing their own paints together to find out for themselves how their colors interact. And, we should all realize that each different kind of paint makes for unique color interactions.
This book is an historical artifact worth owning, but not using.
Mark Gottsegen
"The Painter's Handbook" and
Good for exploration,
2008-10-08
by Andrew A. Gill (Rochester, NY, USA)
Albers provides a series of explorations and experiments for the reader to follow. If you have the resources to perform the experiments as directed, this will probably be a wonderful book. I did not, so I cannot evaluate that aspect.
While not as comprehensive as some other books on color theory, Albers scores points by covering several subjects that are not as well represented in those other books.
Definitely recommended for anyone looking to build a comprehensive library on color theory.
Wonderful Book!,
2008-08-18
by J. Hopper (Saratoga, NY, USA)
This is an incredible resource for people really serious about learning the dynamics of color. You will get the most out of it by actually doing the exercises - it won't help nearly as much if you just read it and look at the examples. I highly recommend it!