145 - ITTEN, JOHANNES

ITTEN, JOHANNES 1888 Südern-Linden–1967 Zürich Title: Simultanes Leuchten. Date: 1964. Technique: Oil on canvas. Measurement: 70 x 60 cm. Notation: Signed and dated on the frame rear panel upper right: Itten 64. Frame: Artist's frame. Provenance: - Dr M.H. Welti collection, Zurich - Private collection North Rhine-Westphalia Exhibition: - Westfälisches Landesmuseum für Kunst und Kulturgeschichte, Münster 1981 (label) Literature: - Christoph Wagner (ed.), Johannes Itten, Werkverzeichnis, Vol. II, Gemälde, Aquarelle, Zeichnungen 1939-1967, Munich 2021, cat. rais. no. 1964-007-G, p. 367 - Rotzler, Willy/Itten, Anneliese: Johannes Itten. Werke und Schriften, Zurich 1972, no. 1167, p. 197, ill. - Exhib. cat.: Johannes Itten. Paintings, Gouaches, Watercolours, Ink Drawings, Drawings. Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History, Münster 1980, cat.no. 62. - As a Bauhaus teacher, artist and art theorist, Itten set new standards in 20th-century painting - An outstanding example is his exploration of the mutual influence of colours and the resulting optical intensity - A late work characterised by an exceptionally dynamic composition of form and colour Johannes Itten’s artistic work is inextricably linked to his intensive exploration of color and its principles. While teaching at the Bauhaus, he developed a systematic theory of color, which he continued to refine over decades and summarized in 1961 in his seminal work *The Art of Color: Subjective Experience and Objective Perception as Paths to Art*. The focus here is less on the individual color than on its effect in relation to the surrounding hues. The painting “Simultanes Leuchten,” created in 1964, brings this exploration directly to life. Itten divides the picture plane into an irregular grid of rectangles and squares of varying sizes. Shades of blue and violet dominate the composition and are complemented by muted greens and grays. Within this predominantly cool color field, Itten places individual areas of bright red and pink. The small red squares, in particular, stand out clearly against the large expanses of blue and turquoise and guide the viewer’s gaze through the composition. Despite its geometric order, the painting does not appear static. The areas of color, varying in size, are offset from one another and form neither a regular grid nor a symmetrical arrangement. At the same time, the hues that immediately adjoin one another alter their respective effects: cool and warm, light and dark sections enter into a dynamic interplay with one another. The title “Simultanes Leuchten” refers to Itten’s exploration of the mutual influence of colors and the resulting optical intensity. The painting was created just three years before Itten’s death and thus belongs to his late oeuvre. His exploration of color—which shaped his artistic and theoretical work for decades—coalesces here into a clearly structured yet vibrant composition. The work is documented in the catalog raisonné by Willy Rotzler and Anneliese Itten under no. 1167 and was exhibited in 1981 at the Westphalian State Museum of Art and Cultural History in Münster. Estimated shipping costs for this lot: The lot is unsuitable for parcel shipping. Transport only by shipping company after consultation following the auction. additional shipping insurance Shipping insurance up to total invoice amount of 25,000 Euros: max. 41.65 Euro over a total invoice amount of 25,000 Euros: 1.8 o/oo USA by individual arrangement after the auction. #Johannes Itten #Modern Art #1960s #Geometric Abstraction #Painting #Modern Art. In accordance with §26 UrhG (German Copyright Act), VAN HAM is obliged to pay a statutory resale royalty on the sale proceeds of all original works of fine art and photography whose authors have not been deceased for 70 years prior to the end of the calendar year of the sale. The buyer shall contribute 1.5% of the hammer price to this fee.