Josef Albers’

3b

Interaction

of 

Color

Interaction of Color

“In my color book there is no new theory of color. But, in it, there is a way to learn to see.”

First published in 1963, Josef Alber’s Interaction of Color has forever changed the way we see, think and learn about color. Rather than presenting a standardized theory of color, it’s designed to teach the individual through direct perception and exploration. Each week in this class we’ll follow this format, reading Albers’ text, exploring concepts in class exercises, and critiquing each other’s work in a group discussion.

Class Details

  • Mondays, 6-8 at Spring Studio (91 Canal Street, 4th floor, NYC 10002) | March 2 – May 18, 2026
  • Instructor: Sharon Denning | Class Fee: $100
  • Open to all levels; no prior experience required.
  • To register, text 917-375-6086 or email springstudio@earthlink.net

Class Materials

  • The Interaction of Color: Book (can also be found used). An e-book can work as well | The Digital Edition is also useful
  • Color-Aid Paper (Optional, as we will have supplies in class but worthwhile if you want to dig deeper)

Resources

Information on Albers vocabulary, color models, and more sources on color

Syllabus

Color in Context

Plate IV-4b

Introduction 

I. Color recollection – visual memory 

II. Color reading and contexture

III. Why color paper – instead of pigment and paint

IV. A color has many faces – the relativity of color

Extra

For next week:

Bring B&W images from magazines etc.

Continue to explore Plate 4

Details from plates V-1a and V-3

V. Lighter and/or dark – light intensity, lightness

In this class we will look at both light intensity and color intensity. One important goal is to become more aware and more sensitive to light intensity in both black and white, and in colors. We will also explore how light intensity is extremely relative and subject to influence by its surroundings.

Extra

For next week:

Continue work on graduation studies

and/or

Pick a color and gather 10 examples from either photos you take or from magazines. Sort them by brightness and which is the “truest” example of that color

Details from plates VI-1a and VI-3b

VI. 1 color appears as 2— looking like the reversed grounds

In this class we’re going to explore how we can make one color look like two different, specific, colors. We’ll use the color dimensions we looked at in previous classes: hue, light intensity (value), and color intensity (chroma) to find the “middle” between 2 colors.

Extra

For next week:

Continue work on an example from from VI, or challenge yourself to find another

Details from plates plate VII-1a and VII-4b

VII. 2 different colors look alike—subtraction of color

How specifically does one color influence another? In this class we’ll look at how to intentionally change a color.

Extra

 

For next week:

Continue work on an example from from VII, or challenge yourself to find another

Color as an Illusion

Details from plates VIII-2 and IX-2b

VIII. Why color deception? – after-image, simultaneous contrast

IX. Color mixture in paper – illusion of transparence

These exercises look at the way our brains and biology affect what we see. The chapter on color mixture in paper includes one of Albers’ most famous quotes, “with closed eyes”. The goal here is to understand and image what the solution is.

Mixtures​

Details from plates X-1 and XI-1b

X. Factual mixtures – additive and subtractive

XI. Transparence and space-illusion | Color boundaries and plastic action

 

This class continues our examination of transparency and how it (and the edges it creates) contribute to a sense of space.

Details from plates XII-1a and XIII-2a

XII. Optical mixture – after-image revised

  • 2 colors (or more), perceived simultaneously are merged into 1 new color

XIII. The Bezold Effect

  • How big a difference can you make by changing 1 color?

Relationships​

Detail from plate XIV-2

XIV. Color intervals and transformation

While Albers is poetic in his description of intervals, they are also quite practical. Defining and continuing these relationships allows us to create consistent light and shadow in a painting.

Details from plates XV-2b and XVI-2a

XV. The middle mixture again – intersecting colors

XVI. Color juxtaposition – harmony – quantity

In XVI, Albers challenges us to work with a “limited” palette, pushing it to create differences in emotion and impact.

Experiments and Application

Details from plates XVII-1b, XVIII-1b, XIX-1, and XX-1b

This week we’ll take a look at the following chapters, with a focus on XIX. The Masters – color instrumentation

XVII. Film color and volume color –2 natural effects

XVIII. Free studies – a challenge to imagination

XIX. The Masters – color instrumentation

XX The Weber- Fechner Law – the measure in mixture

Temperature

Detail from plate XXI-1a

XXI. From color temperature to humidity in color

 

While basic color theory tells us certain colors are “hot” and others “cool”, Albers asks us to look at this in more nuance.

Boundaries and Edges

Details from plates XXII-1a and XXIII-1

XXII. Vibrating boundaries – enforced contours

XXIII. Equal light intensity – vanishing boundaries

Both of these chapters focus on creating “edges” (or boundaries) with color, and show how htey can be used to create focus in painting.