Goethe on Color

7/28/2019 Goethe on Color

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The desire for knowledge is at the first people thereby excited that he is awareof significant phenomena, draw his attention to it. In order that these remainpermanently, so must find a more intimate participation that makes usgradually with the objects known. Then we notice only a great variety, thecontrary penetrates us than quantity. We are compelled to distinguish but, and

reassemble, which recently created an order that can be overlooked with moreor less satisfaction.

This one times only to be made in any reasonably, sustained stringentemployment is necessary. Therefore, we find that people get rather by ageneral theoretical view, by any of explanation of the phenomena aside, ratherthan take the trouble to get to know the individual and edify a whole.

Trying to find the color phenomena and to compile has only been done twice,the first time of Theophrastus, then Boyle. The current one will not make the

third point in dispute.

The closer ratio tells us the story. Here we say only so much that could bethought of in the the last century to such a compilation in no way, becauseNewton had put his hypothesis an intricate and derived attempt to reason onwhat you do when you do not hide and eliminate the remaining zudringendenphenomena could artificially moved around and they turned in fearfulconditions, such as an astronomer would proceed who wants to expose theMoon Grille at the center of our system. He would be forced to the earth, thesun and all other planets revolve around the subaltern body to move aroundand hide by artificial calculations and presentation of the error of his ways andaccepting the first to gloss over.

We now proceed in memory of what we taught vorwortlich above, beforeexpanding. There, we considered the light as recognized here, we do the samewith the eye. We said all of nature manifest themselves by the color of thesense of the eye. We now claim that if it may sound somewhat strange that theeye can not see any form by Bright, Dark and color alone together make upthat which the subject from the object, the parts of the object differs fromeach eye. And so we built from these three, the visible world and at the sametime thus make possible the painting, which on the panel visible world a far

more perfect than that may be true, is capable of producing.

The eye has to thank its existence to the light. From indifferent animal organs,the auxiliary light calls forth an organ that has no equal will, and so the eye isthe light for the light so that the inner light kick against the outside.

Here we remember the old Ionic school, which always repeated with such great


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significance: only from equals the same may be known, as well as the words ofan old mystic, we want to express in German rhymes as follows:

Were not the eye sunlike,

How can we see the light?

Lives' not in us God's own power,

How could we divine delight?

That immediate relatives of the light and the eye is no denying, however, to

think both at the same time as one and the same, has more difficulty. However,it is more comprehensible if one asserts in mind I live a stationary light, amexcited at the slightest instigation from the inside or from the outside. We cancause us the brightest images in the darkness by demands of the imagination.In dreams, the objects appear to us as the full day. In the waking state theslightest external influence of light is noticeable to us, even if the institutionsuffers a mechanical impulse to jump out light and colors.

Maybe make those here who care to proceed according to a certain order,noticeable that we have not even decided declared, what was the color? This is

the question we want to do here like to once again dodge and appeal to ourversion, where we showed complicated as it might appear. For there remainsnothing for us here than to repeat that color is the lawful nature with regard tothe meaning of the eye. Again, we have to assume that someone had this sensethat someone know the influence of nature on this point: because the blind cannot be talking about the color.

Consequently, we do not seem too anxious to avoid a statement, we want torewrite the Erstgesagte follows. The color is a fundamental naturalphenomenon of the meaning of the eye, like all the rest, as manifested byseparation and contrast, by mixing and association, by increasing andneutralization, by notification and distribution and on and under these generalnature formulas best can be viewed and understood.

This way to think of the matter, we can impose upon no one. Whoever finds itconvenient, as we will gladly add them to yourself. Nor do we want to defendthe future of battle and strife. Because it had to act always been somethingdangerous, from the color, such that one of our predecessor occasionally dare


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to speak at all: If you hold the bull a red cloth in front, so he gets angry, butthe philosopher, if you only ever speaks of Color , starts racing.

However, should we now give of our presentation, we refer to someaccountability, we must show first of all, we like the different conditions under

which the color may show up separately. We found three modes, three kinds ofcolors, or if you prefer, three views of the same, the difference can bepronounced.

So we looked at the colors first, so far as they belong to the eye and are basedof the same on an action and reaction; further they moved our attention toitself, by they saw of colorless agents or by their Beihlfe but in the end theywere strange to us, as we they could think of as belonging to the objects. Thefirst we called physiological, physical, the second, the third chemical colors.Those are inexorably fleeting, others temporarily, but most lingering, the last

hold up to the latest period.

By it now in such a nature-order, for the sake of a didactic lecture, as thereseparated and kept apart, we succeeded at the same time, they represent acontinuous series, the volatile with the lingering and link it back permanentlywith, and so the only carefully drawn departments for a higher viewing cancelagain.

Then we have a fourth department of our work, which has been notedpreviously by the colors under specific conditions varied, very generally, andthereby actually designed the demolition of a future theory of colors.Currently, we only say so much ahead that to produce the color light anddarkness, light and dark, or if you want to use a more general formula, lightand non-light'm challenged. First, the light is produced us a color, we callyellow, another first. At the darkness that we call blue with the words Thesetwo, if we mix in their purest state such that they fully comply with thebalance, bring forth a third, which we call green. Those first two colors butalso any bring on themselves a new phenomenon by thicken or darken. You willreceive a reddish reputation, which can increase to such a high degree that youcan hardly see it more like the original blue and yellow. But can the highestand pure red, especially in physical cases, bring forth, that unites the both

ends of the Yellow Red and Blue Red. This is the view of the vibrant colors,appearance and generation. But you can also take to the specified finished blueand yellow and red produce a finished mix back through what we haveaccomplished by intense forward. With these three or six colors, which can beeasily include in a circle, the elementary theory of color has to do alone. Allother infinitely continuous amendments include more in the Applied belong tothe art of the painter, the dyer, ever in life.


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Shall we then still speak a common feature, the colors are certainly to beregarded as half-lights, semi-shade, why because they also, if they are mixedtogether mutually cancel their specific properties, a Shady, a Grey produce.

In our fifth division then should those neighborly relations are shown, in which

our theory of color wish to communicate with the rest of knowledge doings. Soimportant is this department, it may perhaps just for that reason not be able toget the best. But when you consider that actually neighborly relations can notbe express rather than to have it done, so you can take comfort from thefailure of such a first attempt well. Because of course, is only to be seen asthose we sought to serve, which we thought to shew something Pleasing anduseful that will take us from Advance as possible, whether they dedicate itwhether they use it and carry on, or whether they refuse to crowd out and letmakeshift stand on its own. However, we must say what we believe and whatwe hope.

From philosophers to believe we deserve much, that we wanted to pursue thephenomena to their original sources, to the point where they appear naked,and are, and where nothing can be further explained to them. Furthermore, itwill be welcome that we made the phenomena in an easy gear or fine if hehimself should also not entirely approve this order.

The doctor, particularly those who observe the organ of the eye to get it toremedy its defects and its evil is called to heal, we believe ourselves to beexcellent to make friends. In the department of the physiological colors in theappendix, which suggests the pathological, he finds himself quite at home. Andwe are certainly due to the efforts of those men who treat our time with thisspecialized lucky to see those first edited in detail, neglected and one can saythe most important department of the theory of color.

Kindest physicist should meet us as we give him the convenience to carryforward the theory of colors in the range of all other elementary phenomenaand in doing so to use a matching language, almost derselbigen words andcharacters such as under the other headings. Of course we make him insofar ashe is a teacher, a little more effort: for the chapter of the colors can not bedismissed in the future as in the past with little paragraphs and testing; also

the pupil will not be easy as frugal as you may otherwise serve him, be fobbedoff without a murmur. In contrast, there is another advantage later on. Becauseif the Newtonian theory was easy to learn as showed in their applicationinsurmountable difficulties. Our tenet is perhaps difficult to grasp, but theneverything is done, for they will be with their application.

The chemist, who pays attention to the colors as criteria to explore the


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physical properties geheimern beings do, has been found in naming anddescription of the colors of obstacles, so one has been moved to a moredetailed and finer analysis, the color as an insecure and see trgliches indicatorfor chemical operations. But we hope to bring them through our representationand the proposed nomenclature to honor again and to awaken the belief that a

becoming, Growing, a Mobile, the turning over-ready was not deceitfully,rather cleverly, to reveal the most delicate operations of nature.

If we look around, however, than we converts to a fear of displeasing themathematician. By a strange combination of circumstances, the color theory isthe kingdom, has been drawn before the judgment seat of a mathematician,where it does not belong. This happened because of their relationship with theother laws of vision, which was to treat the mathematician actually called. Ithappened also the fact that a great mathematician worked on the theory ofcolor, and as he had been mistaken as a physicist, mustered all the strength of

his talent to give consistency to this error. If both seen, every misunderstandingmust soon be lifted, and the mathematician is like, especially the physicaldivision of color theory, help edit.

The technician, the dyer, however, our work must be quite welcome. It isprecisely those who thought about the phenomena of dyeing were the leastsatisfied by the existing theory. They were the first who were aware of theinadequacy of Newtonian theory. Because there is a big difference from whichside a knowledge of science is approached through which gate to get in.. Thetrue practitioner of the producer, the phenomena are daily forced upon

themselves by force, which benefit or harm from exercising his beliefs feels themoney and time loss is not indifferent to the wants forward reach of other pastaccomplishments, to excel, he feels much quicker the cave, the falsity of atheory when the scholar, the last valid Only the received words at face value,as the mathematician whose formula is still correct, even if the base does notfit her, to which they have applied. And so are we, when we come in from theside of the painting, from the side of aesthetic coloring surfaces, to color forthe painter the Dankenswerteste have done, if we determine the sensual andmoral effects of color in the sixth department sought and thus they want toapproach the art use. Is also here, as well, some remained only sketch soeverything should Theoretical actually only indicate the broad lines on which toendure afterwards like the fact alive and reach the statutory spawning

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Goethe on Color