Josef Albers

"The concern of the artist is with the discrepancy between physical fact and psychological effect."

"If one says Red and there are 50 people listening, it can be expected that there will be 50 reds in their minds. And one can be sure that all these reds will be very different."

"I have received a question I have expected, Dont you deal with accidents? Yes, I deal with accidents, just as Arp admits it all the time. And I admit it, too. But I like to have them under my command and not sign them because they are accidents. If it remains only accident then sign it accident or fate or the Lord, whatever you prefer. Its not you because you have not visioned it. You see visual formulation deals with vision, visual information and visual reaction. So I speak differently from all those who deliver themselves to uncontrolled accidents."

"In order to use color effectively it is necessary to recognize that color deceives continually."

"I want color and form to have contradictorily functions."

"For me, abstraction is real, probably more real than nature. Ill go further and say that abstraction is nearer my heart. I prefer to see with closed eyes."

"A painter works to formulate with or in colors.. .My paintings follow the second option."

"THE ORIGIN OF ART: The discrepancy between physical fact and psychic effect. THE CONTENT OF ART: Visual information of our reaction to life. THE MEASURE OF ART: The ratio of effort to effect. THE AIM OF ART: Revelation and evocation of vision."

"But besides relatedness and influence I should like to see that my colors remain, as much as possible, a face –their own face, as it was achieved – uniquely — and I believe consciously - in Pompeian wall-paintings - by admitting coexistence of such polarities as being dependent and independent — being dividual and individual."

"I helped my father who was a house painter and decorative painter. He made stage sets, he made glass paintings, he made everything. I was in the workshop and watched him. So as a child so-called art was not my view. That was, in my opinion, my fathers job. But I liked to watch him; he comes, as my mother also, from a very craftsmans background. My fathers parents were carpenters. They were also builders partly. They were painters. And several of them were very, active in the theater and all such nonsense, you know. On my mothers side there was much more heavy craft. They were blacksmiths. They made a specialty horse shoes and nails for them.. .So, as a child, my main fun was to watch others working. I loved to walk to the neighboring carpenters place and up to the neighboring shoemaker in my home town."

"I had to go to the Bauhaus to the basic course that was given by Itten. And I submitted to that although I was a little older than Itten. But I have not the best memories of my studies there. So when that course was over everyone had to exhibit his work and then it was decided whether or not one could continue. I was accepted to continue. But I wanted to go into a workshop and I wanted to make stained glass. That was my old dream. Glass pictures. But Itten thought I was not ready for that. Certainly to delay my study in glass, Itten said, Glass painting is a branch of wall painting and you should go first to our wall painting workshop, And I said, Thats nonsense. Wall painting has to do with reflected light and glass painting with direct light. So I said Sorry, Ill do my own stuff on my own. I had no money. Just a Rucksack and a hammer. And I started these assemblages. That was in 1921, But in all books on assemblages these things are not mentioned."

"Every perception of colour is an illusion.. ..we do not see colours as they really are. In our perception they alter one another."