Goethe's "Theory of Colors" in Art

While the namesake of Goethe Pop Up Kansas City, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), is widely known as a German poet who wrote “Faust”, “The Sorrows of Young Werther” and others, he also devoted a great amount of his effort to science. He spent eighteen years producing what he considered his most prized work, “Theory of Colors”, a portrayal of color phenomena published in 1810. Goethe emphasized the utility of his color theory over Isaac Newton’s, and others appear to agree.

The installation “HAZE | Trübe” by the Chicago-based artistic collaboration Luftwerk, currently on display at the Goethe Pop Up, is one of many art pieces that use Goethe’s “Theory of Colors”. Tanya Kelley will speak about Goethe’s color science and show how his color theory is used in art.

Tanya Kelley, PhD, is a painter and adjunct professor of German. Her work includes research, conducted at Linda Hall Library, about color and species nomenclature (Dissertation title: “World to Word: Nomenclature Systems of Color and Species”). The New Yorker featured her research on color systems. She is also currently writing on art and species in collaboration with acclaimed naturalist painter James Prosek.