ICD 2022: Itten’s Seven Colour Contrasts – a Critical Review (Robert Hirschler with Andreas Schwarz

Itten’s contrast theory is a fundamental part of his teaching. His seven contrasts are known, described and taught in many parts of the world, yet they are not without problems and contradictions. With his theory of colour contrasts, Itten made a contribution to cultural history that should not be underestimated and that remains as a fact. However, for the understanding of a differentiated use of colour, be it receptive or productive, be it in the field of design, fine arts or even school, the seven colour contrasts do not come close to meeting today&level of knowledge and didactic requirements. We shall describe examples with not only perceptual but, in some important cases, also physical and psychometric characterization; and shall discuss the pros and cons of making students learn and make use of the seven contrasts. Robert Hirschler has been actively involved in all aspects of color theory, color science and color technology since 1966. Robert graduated at the Technical University of Budapest in chemical engineering/textile chemistry. In 1967 he presented his first paper on computerized color matching and has been involved in colorimetry and color science ever since. He has been involved in AIC activities for over 40 years. He is an active member of both ProCor (Brazil) and the Hungarian National Color Committee and a member of the AIC Executive Committee. Since 2010 he has been the Chair of the Study Group on Color Education. His current research interest is the...