Johannes Itten- Master Teacher and Pioneer of Holistic Learning

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Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art EducationISSN: 2326-7070 (Print)ISSN: 2326-7062 (Online)

Volume 6| Issue 1 (1987) pps. 84-94

Johannes I en: Master Teacher and Pioneer of Holistic Learning Kathleen Skukair

Copyright 1987 Working Papers in Art Education.

Hosted by Iowa Research Onlineis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Iowa Research Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Mari lyn Zurmuehlen Work

Papers in Art Education by an authorized administrator of Iowa Research Online. For more information, please [email protected].

Recommended CitationSkukair, Kathleen (1987) "Johannes I en: Master Teacher and Pioneer of Holistic Learning," Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art Education: Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 19. Available at: h p://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol6/iss1/19
http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwphttp://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol6http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol6/iss1http://ir.uiowa.edu/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://ir.uiowa.edu/http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol6/iss1http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol6http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp


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JOHANNES ITTE :

MASTER TEACHER A D P O EER OF HOLISTIC LEAR NG

Kthleen Shukair

Teach ng cann t be repeated n ts m st va uab e m ments

when we succeed n t uch ng a student's nnerm st c reand str k ng a sp r tua ght

Th s descr pt n f my teach ng seems t me p r c mparedw th what actually happened he t ne the rhythm the

sequence f w rds p ace and t me the m d f thestudents and a the ther c rcumstances wh ch make f ra v ta atm sphere cann t be repr duced; yet t s the

neffab e wh ch he ps f rm a c mate f creat v ty Myteach ng was ntu t ve f nd ng My wn em t n gave methe p wer wh ch pr duced the student's read ness t

earn T teach ut f nner enthus asm s thepp s te f a mere pre p anned meth d f nstruct n

n th s the pen ng statement t h s b k Design a d Form TheBasic Course at t e Ba h s, hannas tten ffers pers nal testt h s ncred b e gen us as an educat r wh ma nta ned thr ugh ut a

ng career the k nd f nte ect energy and magnet s that can n ybe attr buted t ne wh has ach eved the status f master teacherArt st nn vat r ded cated educat r he n t nly nsp red under h sd rect tute age c unt ess art sts arch tects and educat rs tdeve p the r wn ndependent creat ve paths but they n turn asardent d sc p es d ssem nated many f h s deas thr ugh ut the w rld

2unt h s nf uence can be fe t n art sch s even t dayOver s xty years ag tten dev sed a teach ng meth d wh ch

served t re ease atent creat ve p wers thr ugh ntegrat n f all

Work ng Pa rs in A t Educatio 9

Skukair: Johannes Itten: Master Teacher and Pioneer of Holistic Learning

http://ir.uiowa.edu/mzwp/vol6/iss1/19


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aspects f the pers na ty - phys ca , nte ectua , and em t naBe ev ng that the b dy s an nstrument f the m nd, tten fe t thatthe purp se f any tra n ng sh u d be t deve p the "t ta man"

f new deas are t take the shape f art, t snecessary t prepare and c rd nate phys ca , sensua ,sp r tua , and nte ectua f rces and ab t es Th s

ns ght arge y determ ned the sub ect and meth d f my3Bauhaus teach ng

H s n w fam us r entat n c urse at the Bauhaus was h gh ynn vat ve n t n y n ph s phy but was un rth d x, r g r us, even

4b arre n s me aspects n meth ds f mp ementat n Understandab yt was rece ved w th c ns derab e skept c sm by the academ c c mmun ty

at the t me

hat was the r g n and what c u d p ss b y be the rat na e

beh nd such a meth d f tra n ng? hy w u d tten ev ve such astr ngent reg men f r the asp r ng student? as th s rea y ava uab e a d t ward re eas ng nnate creat ve mpu ses?

D sturbed by the m ra d s us nment and s c ec n m cc apse f western c v at n n the wake f r d ar , tten wasc nv nced that western sc ent f c techn g ca c v at n had c metQ a cr t ca p nt, that current utward d rected sc ent f c researchand techn gy had a but usurped nward d rected th u ht and f rces

6f the s u Add t na y, n h s tra n ng as an educat r he wasnf uenced by severa German and Sw ss rev ut nary trends n art

( uge til the German Art N uveau) and art educat n (art st cab ty be ng a natura tra t, a natura unf d ng f the nd v duaas w tnessed n pr mat ve f k art, and advanced by G ethe, e er,H debrand, Br tsch; a s the erkbun German ref rm m vement n arts

7and crafts) and by the unc nvent na meth ds f tw dynam c ment rs,ne the y ung d rect r f a teacher's c ege n Sw t er and (Ernst

8Schne der , the ther, a pr fess r at the Stuttgart Academy f Art

(Ad f H e9

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Marilyn Zurmuehlen Working Papers in Art Education, Vol. 6 [1987], Iss. 1, Art. 19



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Furthermore, he was exposed to and adopted the philosophy and

principles of a relatively new religion, Mazdaznan, holistic in

concept, (the belief that through integration of body, mind and spirit

the individual can achieve her or his intellectual and creative

pot ent ial ). Mazdaznan had its ori gin in the tim ele ss, universal

tenets of the Eastern religion Zoroastrianism and the mysticism of

earl y Ch ri st ia ni ty . It was founded in 1902 by a Germ an- Am eri can

typographer, Otto Hanisch, later known as Dr. Othoman Zar-Adusht

Ha'nisch. Mazdaznan as a dua lis ti c rel igi on (the for ces of ligh t

being engaged in a constant battle against the forces of evil) teaches

that "man is on ear th to dwell the rei n." Accor ding to Mazdaznan the

power to reclaim the material, the body, and make it as perfect as the

sp ir it , is the power of br ea th . However , Mazdaznan also emphasizes adiscipline of breathing, rhythmic prayers and chants supplemented by

diet and exercise.

Having become an ardent disciple of Mazdaznan, Itten was a living

example of its tru th s, possessing an intense, magne tic col orf ul

personality. He could inflame and activate to the point of adulation.

He showered and engulfed his students with his own self confidence,

his fre edom to cre ate , and his exuberance for sear ch. Test imoni als by

numerous students and peers attest to his effectiveness to inspire and

in some instances to repe l. To wi t:

Itten stands before us like the guru of an esoteric sect,

dressed in the monkish Bauhaus robe which he had designed

himself and which was also worn by his assistant, Georg

Muche; his skull is shaved, a wire frame with circular

lenses perches on his nose, his hands are crossed and a

look of pious me di ta ti on is on his fa ce . Yet , in spite

of these affections, there emerges the picture of a

teacher of genius, but one whose remarkable ability wascoupled with the intolerant arrogance sometimes found in

a man fired by the missionary zeal of freshly discovered

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1 3un versa I trut hsItten knew how to inflame us shake us up break down allthe dikes and plunge us into a veritable frenzy ofproduction and still beco e one of us e had the

14greatest respect f or h mIndeed it appears that his students would do anything that their

master demanded According to Lothar Schreyerhen one day Itten declared that hair was a sign of sin

his most enthusiastic disciples shaved their heads15 completely And thus we went around eimar

Believing also that within each student resides a genuinecreative power which needs only to be released by the teacher Ittensaw a need to devise a teaching method which would not only educatethe imagination and promote the harmonious development of the whole

personality by integration of the body mind and spirit but wouldallow learning to occur as a natural unfolding of the individualFurthermore the students would be learning not only for school butfor life allowing them to make their own independent ways afterleaving the period of training and conduct their life s work in a

16fn ed an d ntegrate d mannerThus it was that Johannes Itten proceeded to develop a basic

orientation course compulsory for all first year students regardlessof their ultimate direction F rst it was to be a carefullystructured comprehensive experience with all possible qualities ofthe visible world based on a theory of contrasts

In his book Itten writesFinding and listing the various possibilities of contrastwas always one of the most exciting subjects because thestudents realized that a completely new world was openingup to the Such contrasts are large small long shortbroad narrow thick thin black white much little

straight curved pointed blunt hori zontal vertical

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diagona circu ar, hig Iow, area ine, area body ,smooth rough, hard soft, sti moving, ight heavy,

transparent opaque, conti nuous i nterm it tent,iquid so id, sweet sour, strong weak, oud soft, as we

as the seven co or contrasts A these contrasts had to17be studied in detai

Second, in accordance with the notion of the tota man , thestudents were required to approach the contrasts from threedirections They had to experience them with their senses,

18objectivize them inte ectua y, and rea i ze them synthetica yCount ess exercises in a sorts of media were assigned to his

students, based upon individua needs and sensibi ities, using actua

materia s and textures in design prob ems, a high y origina approachat the time An examp e of how his students were encouraged to

immerse themse ves tota y into a situation can be seen from thefo owin excerpt by Fe ix K ee

One co eague, for examp e, by the name of Pacha, had aong mane that came down a the way to his

shou ders, One day, in fu pub ic view he was shorn ofhis adornment But more important, Pacha artfu y madethis hair the centra point of one of his studies of

19 Imater a sThird, even in the ana ysis of reproductions of the O d Masters,

Itten wanted the students to project their emotions into t e picturein addition to the usua inte ectua approach They were to putthese fee ings onto paper in terms of i ht and dark contrast,distributio of ass, rhythms, ines of composition, or other factorssuggested by the picture In 1921, Sch emmer wrote

At Weimar, Itten teaches ana ysis He shows s ides to

the students who then have to draw certain e ements, sa ,movement, the main ine, a curve . He shows a Gothicfigure, then the weeping Magda en from the Frunewa d

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Altar. The students are working hard to extract theessence of this very complicted composition Ittenwatches their fumblings and roars: f you had any kindof artistic sensibility, you would not sit there drawingin the face of this sublime representation of tears -the sorrow of the world you would be dissolved intears yourselves! With these ords, he rushes out,

20 slamming the door behind him

Accordingly, he stressed working from the student's o nexperience, perceptions, and intuition K inesthetic or body awarenessand sensitivity were not only conducive, but were an absolutenecessity to awaken a vital feeling for the subject. ndeed, ttenbelieved that only through such physical and intellectual readiness,could heightened sensitivity to the world be acquired, and could the

intensive and concentrated mental and physical effort required for21 hat IS, genu e wor , ta ke p ace.true art st c tervent on, t kThis then, became the rationale behind his unique theory and ethods

To this end, he imposed upon the students a rigorous system ofphysical exercises and body hygiene which included their diet,clothing, indeed their very breathing

For example, he would begin each morning class with relaxationbreathing, and concentration exercises to establish the intellectualand physical readiness in preparation for intensive work He writes:

How can a hand express a characteristic feeling in aline, when a hand and arm are cramped? The fingers, thehand, the arm, the whole body can be prepared for the

22tas k and sens t zat on

The body can be relaxed in three ways, he says: first, bymovement of the whole body, especially the spinal column and arms andlegs He would have them bend and turn, twisting from side to side,

23up and down, with the effect of loosening up the external muscles

Says one of his students:

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There were ab ut twenty f us, pred minantly men, withvery few w men The d r pened tten came in andsaid, G d m rning , we st d and in a ch rus said,

'G d m rning', thereup n tten said, 'That isn't a g dm rning ' went ut, came back in, and said, 'G dm rning The same fr m us, nly l uder this time But

tten wasn't satisfied He felt we hadn't w ken up yet;we were still cramped Please stand up Y u have t bel se r y u w n't be able t w rk Turn y ur headsThat's it M re Y u've still g t sleep in y ur

24necksSec nd, by th ught c ncentrati n while keeping the standing,

sitting r reclining p siti n with the b dy perfectly still, theinternal rgans c uld be relaxed Acc rding t tten, this is the

nly way t acc mplish such a featThe third way f relaxing, balancing, and harm nizing the b dy

c nsists in the use f s und vibrati n First by practicing s undpr ducti n the student w uld learn t deal where the s unds vibratedin the b dy Even if l w, the hummed n t must be intense O this,

tten says, "A s und filled with the p wers f the heart can w rk25

w nders "The f urth way, and perhaps f greatest imp rtance acc rding t

tten, is the art breathing pr perlyAs we breathe, s we think and c nduct the rhythm f urdaily r utine Pe ple wh have achieved great success intheir lives always breathe quietly, sl wly, and deeplyTh se wh are sh rt breath are hasty and greedy intheir th ughts and acti ns By eans f breathingexercises tried t train my students t breath quietly

26and m re deeplyOn diet, t , there were definite pr cedures and regulati ns set

rth A vegetarian diet was f ll wed, the f d being prepared in a

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special manner in the Bauhaus kitchen according to strict rules set byltten Paul Citroen one of the students speaks

This selected diet must be prepared in a special way anden oyed in proper se uence and with proper

27.concentrat on.Fasting too was a way of lifeFasts were the high point of our training a d spring and

28 autumn were the seasons designated for thisEvidence that through this regimen of physical exercise diet

breathing and meditation the individual experienced a heightened

sensitivity and precision of feelings even an altered state ofconsciousness is given in testimonials by the students themselvesMany of them had become keenly aware of the physical ualities ofthings were able to distinguish gradation of tone color or shape

in the contrasting pairs of perceptions of his carefully structuredcomposition course and on other things as well.

One student speaks thusBut must admit the inconveniences meant nothing at allbeside the uni ue unforgettable experience we had duringand because of the fasting The bodily changes andtransformations gave rise to unexpected mo s openedunknown regions of feelings. I would never have thoughtit possible to attain such 'transparency to become soreceptive to otherwise hardly noticeable spiritualvibrations. n the end it was a pity to have to leave

29this exalted almost unearthly stateUnorthodox as his methods may have been they were not as

far fetched as would first appear especially in the light ofsubse uent trends in art and scientific discoveries Today afterthree decades under the influence of abstract expressionism therelationship between Ii mbering up exercises awareness of one's own

body and of the movements which the hand undergoes in pro ecting a

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visual image especially onto a large surface is more readilyunderstood That regular physical exercise makes one more alertefficient and engenders a feeling of well being is generallyacknowledged today by physical fitness experts Modern research hasproved also that fasting meditation and rhythmic breathing can leadto heightened states of consciousness and optimum physical and mentalperformance

And finally his unorthodox methods under criticism at the ti meby the academic community have found support in several educationalcircles including prevailing trends in art education in post orldWar West Germany Current research into various mind expansiontechniques and interest in holistic ways of learning have resulted in

scores of retreats conferences experiential workshops institutesand schools being organi ed to examine methods not unlike those of

tten's some also with a ase in ancient Eastern religious

principles Guided by dynamic visionary individuals from all fieldshumanistic and scientific these groups are seeking ways to ensurepreservation of individual creativity and spirit in today's complexsociety

Therefore not only was tten an important figure in the tide of

educational reform begun a century earlier with educators such asPestalo i Herbart and Froebel but he could be considered a trueinnovator and visionary whose ideas too advanced for his time nowhave come of age tten not only had rediscovered some universal andtimeless truths and was able to structure them into a highly originaldesign but had the courage and energy to implement the in such aninspiring manner that his influence is still felt in every progressive

30art sc ool the world over

oteJohannes tten De ign a d Form: The Ba ic se at e

Ba ha , tr by John Mass (New ork Reinhold Publishing Corp

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964) p 72 Henry P a eigh Johannes tten and the Background of Modern

Art Education " A t Jou ,Spring 968 Vo 27 p 2873 tten p cit p 04 ckhard Neumann (Ed ) B h us a d B h us Pe p e, (New York

Van Nostrand einho d Company 970) pp 46 49

5 berhard oters P inte s of he Ba h us, (New York:Frederick A Praeger Pub ishers 969) p 46 47

6 Oswa d Speng er The Decline of he est: Pe spective of oa Hist y Vol. II: Pe spectives of o Hist y, Tr by Char es

Francis Atkinson (New York A fred A Knopf nc 928) p5007 a eigh p cit pp 284 2858 i y ot z er and Anne iese tten Jo es Itte : e ke und

Sch if e , (Zurich: Ore Fuss i Ver ag 972) p 99 oters p cit p 48

0 bid p 50J Gordon Me ton The E cycloped a of A e ic Religio s,

( imington North Caro ina: McGrath Pub ishing Co Vo 2 972)p 443

2 bid3 oters p cit p 474 Neumann p cit p 445 bid p 72

6 tten p t p87 bid p 28 bid9Neumann p cit p39

20 oters p cit p 52 Johannes tten Design a d Fo : The Basic Cou se at t e

Ba h us a d Late , (New York: einho d Pub ishing Corp 975)p 7 2

22 bid p

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23lbid24Neumann, Opecit, p.5625ltten, evised ed , p.926

Ibid ,pp.8, 927Neumann, Opecit , p.462 bid ,p.4929 bid ,p.4730 aleigh, Opecit , p.287

o k ng Pa s in A t ducation 9 7



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Johannes Itten- Master Teacher and Pioneer of Holistic Learning