Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus and Later

Design and Form is a solid text, with many examples of the type of work that Itten tasked his students with. Itten does not, however, lay out a series of lectures for the student. Rather, Itten lays out a path of experimentation and self-discovery for the student to follow. Much of the content will be familiar to anyone who has read The Art of Color, and for those people, I could not recommend buying (nor could I recommend avoiding) this book. If the reader needs clarity on a subject, many examples prod the reader into finding a solution. In sum: A good (but not great) text when considered on its own merits, and an average text when considered in conjunction with Itten's other works.

This book is not a step by step syllabus to follow blindly. Itten wrote this book to share the fundamental principles that he taught all his students (no matter how advanced) before allowing them to pursue higher classes and goals at his school. The book is broken down into sections that (to anyone who's had art training) seem simple enough: chiaroscuro, form, color, rhythm, etc. but Itten teaches not so much the technical aspect of art as a new way of seeing the world, a way of creating from the whole body and mind, not just with a paintbrush (or computer graphics program). The sections are all punctuated with many examples of student work that relate to the topic covered. Often, it is these examples that really drive his points home. Just as Itten believed that everyone was capable of being creative and thought the basic course was valuable to all levels of art students and even teachers, this book is applicable for both those who are looking for an introduction into creating, and those who consider themselves expert artists already. I guarantee there will be at least one idea in the book to make you stop and ponder and suddenly challenge your way of thinking on the matter.

Itten made the world as we know it today. Without his guidence, none of the products you buy, art you look at, or anything else would be what it is today. If you are a designer or art monger, you owe it to yourself to read this book. It is a discription of his Basic Course (everyone had to take it...) at the Bauhaus in Weimar written by Itten himself.