History & Practice Session 5: The Bauhaus

There are many notable names associated with the Bauhaus. However, the artist that immediately piqued my interest  was ​Johannes Itten. ​I felt drawn to his work because of its connection to psychology, as this is both an interest and a passion of mine alongside art.

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Johannes Itten

​Johannes Itten was born on November 11th 1888 in Südern-Linden, Switzerland. At the age of sixteen he began an elementary teaching course, and taught using the psychoanalysis and nurturing methods of  Friedrich Fröbel. Quite the skilled academic, Itten graduated with a diploma for secondary teaching alongside another degree in natural science and mathematics. He 

T​remained interested and in tune with the psychology of his students, and preferred to teach without criticising an individual's creativity for fear of dulling their spark.

Returning from his teaching ventures in 1912, Itten studied abstract painting under Eugène Gilliard, drawing heavy influence from painter/teacher Franz Cižek, and realist-turned-abstractionist Adolf Hölzel (who later became his mentor at Stuttgart Academy). In Vienna, 1916, he met the founder of the Bauhaus Walter Gropius, who appointed him one of the earliest Bauhaus instructors. There, he was a master of multiple trades, and a valuable teacher who helped develop the Bauhaus preliminary course. However, he eventually left to pursue his own path.

Itten's work focused heavily on abstract form and colours; he developed and deeply explored his own colour contrast theories, describing them in his book The Art of Colour. Believing there was a strong connection between emotional psychology and creativity, he would often employ music and relaxation methods to teach. In his own words:

"He who wants to become a master of colour must see, feel, and experience each individual colour in its endless combinations - colours must have a mystical capacity for spiritual expression without being tied to objects."

Itten died on March 25th 1967 in Zürich, but his legacy lives on in his colour theories and the influence they have had on cosmetologists and artists.