Hommage to Josef Albers #02
Essays on Albers by the organisers of the workshop Interaction of Colour in Space
By Julia Hausmann
“We never really perceive what color really is, as it physically is. This fact makes color the most relative medium in art.” – Josef Albers
Hardly any other artist has combined colour, art, space and craftsmanship as consistently as Josef Albers. His works remain highly relevant to this day – not only in art itself, but also in teaching. The holistic design principles of the Bauhaus had a lasting influence on both him and his wife, Anni Albers. At the same time, both further developed these principles and exerted a decisive influence on them through their own work and teaching. I find the poetry that is evident in both their works particularly moving.
The pictures from the series ‘Homage to the Square’ show colour in its effect and at the same time as a material – the surface structure and the colour surfaces have enormous depth. The works allow us to experience how colours interact with each other, change, have a spatial effect and create emotional resonance. Unfortunately, the fascination and subtlety of these works is often flattened and simplified by the multitude of reproductions. That is precisely why it is so special to experience Albers’ works in their original form.
We, at the German Colour Association, are therefore all the more delighted to be able to hold a two-day international workshop entitled ‘Interaction of Colour in Space’ at the Museum Quadrat Bottrop in collaboration with ICA Belgium. This will provide an opportunity to experience the added value of the originals first-hand and to explore Albers’ thoughts on the effect of colour in his birthplace.
What’s more, the museum itself is a special place that I always enjoy visiting: the ensemble of the museum, built in the 1970s, whose square floor plans refer to ‘Homage to the Square’, and the extension completed in 2022 by Swiss architects Gigon Guyer, together with the surrounding park, form a remarkable architectural and landscape feature. A small oasis in the Ruhr area, it provides a particularly inspiring setting for the practical workshop on colour.