

In the end, though, the app feels true to his vision. I have taught seeing.”Īlbers would be the first to point out the problems with the e-book medium, like how the colors in his printed book are seen through the subtractive process (the pigments on the page absorbing light) while the iPad uses the additive (light from the screen combining with natural light). One standout moment is archival footage of the crusty Albers pontificating about his theories in the classroom, ultimately saying, “I have not taught painting because it cannot be taught.

The paid version is for those who want a more in-depth understanding of color theory, and it includes the full text, the complete set of Albers’s color studies and a large selection of video content. In the spirit of the interactive component of the book, the app makes it very easy to save newly created color studies and share them across social networks. The former includes a feature that allows users to make their own color studies using Albers’s templates and a collection of 250 color swatches. A basic version is free on the Apple app store, with a more comprehensive version available for $9.99. This beautifully designed digital version interweaves intuitive text with interactive media that nicely illustrate Albers’s theories. In order to give a larger audience access to Albers’s work, Yale produced the app in time for the book’s 50th anniversary. The complete edition was re-released in 2009 by Yale University Press after being out of print for many years, but with a hefty price tag-it lists at $250.
