14 Facts About Johannes Itten

Johannes Itten was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus school.

Johannes Itten adopted principles espoused by Schneider, including the practice of not correcting his students' creative work on an individual basis, for fear that this would crush the creative impulse.

Johannes Itten was heavily influenced by Adolf Holzel and Franz Cizek.

Johannes Itten opened a private art school in Vienna, using the work and textbook of Eugene Gilliard as a base.

From Holzel, Johannes Itten adopted a series of basic shapes as a means from which to begin creation, and the use of gymnastic exercises to relax his students and prepare them for the experiences that were to occur in the class.

From 1919 to 1922, Johannes Itten taught at the Bauhaus, developing the innovative "preliminary course" which was to teach students the basics of material characteristics, composition, and color.

In 1920 Johannes Itten invited Paul Klee and Georg Muche to join him at the Bauhaus.

Johannes Itten published a book, The Art of Color, which describes his ideas as a furthering of Adolf Holzel's color wheel.

Johannes Itten's so called "color sphere" went on to include 12 colors.

In 1924, Johannes Itten established the Ontos Weaving Workshops near Zurich, with the help of Bauhaus weaver Gunta Stolzl.

Johannes Itten was a follower of Mazdaznan, a neo-Zoroastrian religion founded in the United States.

Johannes Itten observed a strict vegetarian diet and practiced meditation as a means to develop inner understanding and intuition, which was for him the principal source of artistic inspiration and practice.

Johannes Itten's works exploring the use and composition of color resemble the square op art canvases of artists such as Josef Albers, Max Bill and Bridget Riley, and the expressionist works of Wassily Kandinsky.

Johannes Itten had been the first to associate color palettes with four types of people, and had designated those types with the names of seasons.