An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers

I was looking for a simple teaching tool to help my students understand color theory. I teach Middle School, and their brains are in "mush" mode when they begin adolescents. This is more of a story book about Josef Albers and why he likes color, what he saw, learned, and his thought process about color. , It would be okay for 5th on down, but not for middle school, and definitely as a story not a "tool" for teaching.

I'm an Art Teacher at a k-12 school. We have used this book with our 1st graders and our high schoolers and everyone in between. Someone TOOK our copy and so we bought another one. It's that good.

A historical and enjoyable way to teach art to almost any elementary student. My second graders are fascinated by the simplicity and genius of Josef Albers.

This is a biography of German artist, Josef Albers, as well as an art lesson. It's written for the elementary level with eye-catching illustrations. It does a good job explaining the basics of color theory and teachers can continue with extension activities for different levels of art, such as making a color wheel, mixing primary colors into secondary colors, and creating warm and cool versions of each shade of color.There is additional biographical information about Josef Albers at the end. His approach in his study of color was methodical and scientific. His work laid the foundation for abstract, modern art.

Josef Albers, a boy living in Bottrop, Germany, loved to watch his father at work. His father, a handyman, painted a door as if it were an "artists'" canvas. As a young student he would scrounge around in dumps to find interesting materials for his collages. Later, when he became an art teacher in America in 1933, he made things like an accidental paint spill turn into a learning experience. He wanted "to open eyes," but with his brand of teaching, it probably wasn't a particularly difficult task. He enjoyed living and teaching in America, but it was the vibrant colors of Mexico that "captured his eye."In his correspondence he described Mexico as "truly the promised land of abstract art." Adobe buildings became his inspiration and he painted rectangles with color schemes of all sorts. His unusual use of color and sheer numbers of rectangles began to teach him something about color. By changing the colors, put them next to others he found that the "mood of the painting changed." It was as if the colors had taken on personalities of their own. It was a little experiment tinged with shades of mystery that nudged him into exploring this phenomenon. When he was sixty-one he began his experiment in earnest. He painted squares, squares and more squares ... what was Josef going to discover?I loved this story of art and discovery. The simple text, accompanied by vibrant examples of color and the interactive effects on one another was very striking. In the back there is a short, but fascinating glimpse of the author's childhood recollection of Josef Albers, her neighbor. There is a short biography of Albers, a glossary, a selected bibliography and some very interesting "See-for-Yourself Activities." This would be an excellent addition to your classroom shelves, especially if you are an art teacher!

This book not only tells about Josef Albers' ideas and work, it also gives kids plenty of ideas for experimenting with color. The projects in the book can be done by anyone with access to construction paper and a ruler -- and every child can experience the wonder of the changes of color from simple combinations.

This brief lovely biography is about an artist who first taught art in his native Germany, and then later immigrated to America in 1933 to teach art at an experimental college. Josef Albers became fascinated with the bright colors of Mexican Abstract art. He began to paint "the most geometrically perfect shape: the square" and then he played with different colors: the significance of a color changed according to the background color that framed it. He stated that he was "not paying homage to a square" but rather, the square was "only the dish I serve my craziness about color in". He wrote a book called "Interaction of Color", and subsequently, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted a show of his artwork. An author's note explains why she decided to write this book about Josef Albers - he was her neighbor, and in an addendum provides some additional information about this unique artist, a glossary, a color wheel, a select bibliography, and lists some activities for the reader to try out. This is a very appealing presentation for young children to learn about an influential artist.

It's rare to find a book that so seamlessly combines story with illustrations, and in such an exciting and intriguing manner! An Eye for Color tells the story of Josef Albers who spent years studying color and what he discovered that forever changed the way people look at art. The book contains illustrations that are interactive; an Author's Note explaining how Wing came to know Albers as a neighbor; extended biographical information about Albers, including a photo; a glossary of art terms used in the book; a color wheel; and selected bibliography. Well worth the money for any teacher dealing with limited funding for the arts. This book brings a wealth of knowledge in a very exciting package!