I-S Va[riant]I. Plate 1 from the suite of 6 entitled 'Six Variants'
Print
1969 (made)
1969 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Josef Albers became one of the most influential figures of the 20th century avant-garde. He worked in a variety of media but has become widely recognised through his later printed work, based on the exploration of colour.
In 1949 he wrote a definitive text on colour theory and soon after began work on the series of coloured squares and rectangles which came to dominate his work and which explored the idea of colour as an illusion, depending on context. "We do not see colours as they really are" he wrote "in our perception they alter one another" Although he began his experiments in this field with paint, he came to depend on the planographic print processes, particularly screen-print, because through them consistent evenness of colour could be produced easily and with great speed.
In 1949 he wrote a definitive text on colour theory and soon after began work on the series of coloured squares and rectangles which came to dominate his work and which explored the idea of colour as an illusion, depending on context. "We do not see colours as they really are" he wrote "in our perception they alter one another" Although he began his experiments in this field with paint, he came to depend on the planographic print processes, particularly screen-print, because through them consistent evenness of colour could be produced easily and with great speed.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | I-S Va[riant]I. Plate 1 from the suite of 6 entitled 'Six Variants' (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | colour lithograph |
| Brief description | Josef Albers: I-S Va..I. Colour lithograph.1969. |
| Physical description | Format rectangular (landscape) with nesting rectangles of colour. Included within this pattern is a bar shape with 'towers' or uprights at either end, also consisting of overlayered or nesting bands of colour. Colours predominantly green, yellow, blue, grey. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Production type | Limited edition |
| Copy number | 13/150 |
| Marks and inscriptions | Albers '69 I-S Va.I
13/150 (Signed dated , inscribed with title, and numbered, all in pencil. Blind stamped with the publisher's mark at lower right.) |
| Credit line | Given by the Josef Albers Foundation |
| Production | I-S = Ives Sillman. The prints designated 'I-S' were published by Ives Sillman. They were part of an open-ended series lettered 'a', 'b', 'c' etc. for identification. E. 63:7-1994 is the portfolio case for the suite. |
| Summary | Josef Albers became one of the most influential figures of the 20th century avant-garde. He worked in a variety of media but has become widely recognised through his later printed work, based on the exploration of colour. In 1949 he wrote a definitive text on colour theory and soon after began work on the series of coloured squares and rectangles which came to dominate his work and which explored the idea of colour as an illusion, depending on context. "We do not see colours as they really are" he wrote "in our perception they alter one another" Although he began his experiments in this field with paint, he came to depend on the planographic print processes, particularly screen-print, because through them consistent evenness of colour could be produced easily and with great speed. |
| Associated objects |
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| Bibliographic reference | Catalogue Raisonne: Nicholas Fox-Weber [Ed.] Brenda Danilowitz: The Prints of Josef Albers 1915-1976. Hudson Hills Press, New York. 2001. Cat. no. 192.1 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.61-1994 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2009 |
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