Thursday, August 25, 2016

THREE JOSEF ALBERS QUOTES ON PLAY AND MATERIALS

"To experiment is at first more valuable than to produce; free play in the beginning develops courage. Therefore, we do not begin with a theoretical introduction; we start directly with the material..."

"Our aim is not so much to work differently as to work without copying or repeating others. We try to experiment, to train ourselves in "constructive thinking"..."

"...an essential point in our teaching is economy. Economy is the sense of thriftiness in labor and material and in the best possible use of them to achieve the effect that is desired."


 -- Josef Albers, "Concerning Design," from "Werklicher Formunterricht," published in "bauhaus. zeitschrift fur gestaltung, nos. 2/3 (Dessau: 1928), pp. 3-7.

2 comments:

  1. James Webb Young in 1939. His short book, A Technique for Producing Ideas, became the seminal book on how to get ideas, good ones, into your head… Webb Young suggests the following five-step plan to generating great ideas:

    [1] Gather the raw material

    [2] Digest the material

    [3] Don’t think

    [4] Wait for the ‘Ah ha!’ moment to appear (and be ready when it does. Keep a notebook by your bed)

    [5] Expose your idea to the light of day and see if it stands up to the glare

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  2. I really admire these selected quotes as the inspire a childlike state of mind while creating that I myself had only discovered within the past year, or I may have simply rediscovered these outlooks. However I had made no attempt to classify what I was experiencing in my art and every day life. His words bring the sense of freedom and yet professionalism, two words that do not always harmonize. Overall his ideas are quite insightful.

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