Itten and color

Johannes Itten, born in Switzerland, was very influential in forming a new way to classify color. Early in his career he was a schoolteacher, but after becoming bored with this role he enrolled into the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and later studied under Eugene Gillard. In the early 1900's, Itten went to teach at the Bauhaus where his interest in mysticism and color excelled. It was in this new environment surrounded by other avant garde artists that Itten created his color theory.
In the Art Of Color, Itten created color wheels in the shapes of stars, spheres, and circles where he hoped to, " to provide a clear and complete map of the world of color." He used his scientific knowledge along with his interest in psychology and mysticism to develop a way to organize color. He emphasized the individual and taught color perception was unique to the individual. Color harmony was also a staple of his teachings which looked into balance and symmetry. Itten was also very interested in the psychological implications of colors.
Itten was an extremely influential person in the forming of the Bauhaus and how we view color today. For various reasons, Itten was forced to resign in 1923 and was replaced by Moholy-Nagy. Later, he went to open his own art and architecture school in Berlin.

Sources: http://www.dezignare.com/newsletter/Johannes_Itten.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Itten
http://members.tripod.com/~FroebelWeb/web2018.html

the color of the universe

What color is the universe? If you could hold the entire universe in the palm of your hands, what would it look like? Apparently scientists have asked this question too, and by measuring the light from 200,000 galaxies from a large volume of space, astronomers have put together a rough idea of what color the universe is. Of course there are many colors that we humans cannot see, so these astronomers used the data that applies to the human eye.
There are other problems that arise too. Under what illumination will we be viewing the universe? From their findings, under illumination D65 (close to the illumination of the setting sun), the universe appears reddish white, and under indoor lighting the universe appears blue. According to these astronomers though, the best answer is close to white. That's why the illumination factor plays such a strong role.
To me, this information seems naturally flawed. If we don't know the size of the universe, how can we determine its color? 200,000 galaxies seem like a lot to us, but do we know this is a good representation? Either way, it's extremely interesting and can probably tell us a lot more about the universe.

Source: http://www.pha.jhu.edu/~kgb/cosspec/

Are colors natural and inherent properties of physical objects? Or does the viewer determine, through the act of looking, the color of an object. Are the colors we see just an illusion manifested in our brains? I do not know the answer to these questions and they are questions that have been asked for ages. In some respects, I think it's a waste of time to ask these questions. A lot of our lives are dependent on our perceiving them and if we were able to answer this question, it would only raise many other questions and leave us just as confused. But there are many fun and interesting color illusion websites that can get you thinking on the topic. Such as this website: http://www.psy.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/color-e.html.
The Illusion Theory of Color puts forth that in our experience, objects have colors, but in reality, color is not an inherent property in the nature of the object. The sky and ocean appear to be blue, but they are not blue in the way we understand it. Some theories say the ocean is blue because it is reflecting the sky, but the sky is not really blue at all, that is just the way we see it. When the sun's rays enter our atmosphere, oxygen and nitrogen scatter the rays on the shorter end of the wavelength the most (violet and blue). Since our eyes are more sensitive to blue, that is how we see it.
If objects don't really possess color, then why do we see them? I think color is a human adaptation that allows us to differentiate areas of interest and danger. Don't eat those yellow berries, eat these nice red ones! Although, the berries might not be red, just the way our brain perceives them, it is irrevelent if it can keep you alive. The strongest will is the one to survive, and it doesn't matter where information comes from as long as it's useful.


Sources: http://www.why-is-the-sky-blue.tv/why-is-the-sky-blue.htm
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/color/#Ill