Colour

3 lectures, Dornach, May 6–8, 1921;
9 supplementary talks, Dornach, 1914–1924, (CW 291)

Building on the achievements of Goethe in his “theory of color,” Rudolf Steiner shows how color affects us in many areas of life, including our health, our sense of well being, and our feelings. Distinguishing between “image” and “luster” colors, he lays the foundation, based on his spiritual scientific research, for a practical technique of working with color that leads to a new direction in artistic creativity.

His many penetrating remarks on some of the great painters of the past are supplemented by a deep concern to see a cultural, spiritual renewal emerge in the present time. “If you realize,” he states, “that art always has a relation to the spirit, you will understand that both in creating and appreciating it, art is something through which one enters the spiritual world.”

This volume is the most comprehensive compilation of Rudolf Steiner’s insights into the nature of color, painting, and artistic creation. It is an invaluable source of reference and study not only for artists and therapists, but also for anyone interested in gaining an appreciation of art as a revelation of spiritual realities.

This volume is a translation from German of Das Wesen der Farben (GA 291).

Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) was born in the small village of Kraljevec, Austro-Hungarian Empire (now in Croatia), where he grew up. As a young man, he lived in Weimar and Berlin, where he became a well-published scientific, literary, and philosophical scholar, known especially for his work with Goethe's scientific writings. At the beginning of the twentieth century, he began to develop his early philosophical principles into an approach to systematic research into psychological and spiritual phenomena. Formally beginning his spiritual teaching career under the auspices of the Theosophical Society, Steiner came to use the term Anthroposophy (and spiritual science) for his philosophy, spiritual research, and findings. The influence of Steiner's multifaceted genius has led to innovative and holistic approaches in medicine, various therapies, philosophy, religious renewal, Waldorf education, education for special needs, threefold economics, biodynamic agriculture, Goethean science, architecture, and the arts of drama, speech, and eurythmy. In 1924, Rudolf Steiner founded the General Anthroposophical Society, which today has branches throughout the world. He died in Dornach, Switzerland.