Colour Misconceptions and their Impact in the Classroom

With: Robert Hirschler & Andreas Schwarz

Saturday March 1, 11:00am-12:30pm EST 
Facts and Myths about Colour Series, Part 1

Robert Hirschler

Colour Misconceptions…

An overview of the next forum series and a historical perspective on enduring colour misconceptions that have shaped teaching practices for centuries. Robert will present a rationale for adopting a 21st-century approach to Colour Literacy education—one that combines scientific principles with experiential learning. From among the many misconceptions encountered in books, articles and on the Internet, he will briefly discuss four:

1. All colours can be mixed using a ‘primary’ set of three.

2. A single simple hue circle or ‘colour wheel’ is all that is needed to illustrate all

   colour relationships.

3. There are simple rules that guarantee colour harmony.

4. Colours have universal symbolic meanings. Using colour categories or simple

   hue names are sufficient to attach meaning and effect to colours (red is

   arousing, blue is calming).

Traditional Colour Theory, or rather its various manifestations, owe their popularity to being vague, simple and easy to explain; however, this simplification makes the theory inaccurate, very often laden with misconceptions which are widely taught and publicized. Decades of intensive work on the use of colour in art lessons by Andreas Schwarz (speaker of the second part of this Forum) reveal serious deficiencies that urgently require fundamental rethinking in this field, deeply and firmly rooted in the tradition of the subject and virtually dominated by ‘traditional colour theory’. In the 21st century, colour education should break away from the shackles of traditional colour theory and treat colour as something to be experienced and enjoyed, and not just taught.

Robert Hirschler graduated at the Technical University of Budapest in chemical engineering/textile chemistry. In 1967 he presented his first paper on computerized colour matching and has been involved in colorimetry and colour science ever since. He has been involved in AIC activities for over 50 years since his participation at the second AIC Congress (York, 1973). He is an active member of both ProCor (Brazil) and the Hungarian National Colour Committee and a past member of the AIC Executive Committee. On 2010 - 2024 he was Co-Chair of the Study Group on Colour Education and in 2019-2024 Co-Chair of the ISCC/AIC Colour Literacy Project. His current research interests include the teaching of the basics of colour science to architects, artists and designers as explained in his CR&A article “How much colour science is not too much”, and the colour theory of neo-impressionist painters.

Andreas Schwarz

... and their Impact in the Classroom

Andreas will offer profound and exemplary insights into the teaching of art through the lens of traditional colour theory. His approach is interwoven with the misconceptions about colour analyzed and pointed out by Robert Hirschler. Two key examples—one focusing on subtractive colour mixing and the other on additive colour mixing—will serve as illustrative case studies. These examples were carefully documented as part of a comprehensive five-year qualitative-empirical research project. The study was conducted using participant observation, allowing for an in-depth understanding of the learning process, and was later subjected to a rigorous phenomenological analysis to extract meaningful interpretations. While Robert Hirschler emphasizes the factual inconsistencies and scientific inaccuracies embedded in traditional colour theory, Andreas’ focus will extend beyond theoretical critique. It delves into the dynamic interactions between students and teachers that arise when these outdated theories are put into practice within the classroom setting. The resulting implications are striking, revealing the significant educational challenges and misunderstandings that emerge due to the continued reliance on flawed concepts. These findings underscore the urgent need for action, a mission that the Colour Literacy Project is deeply committed to addressing through its advocacy and educational initiatives.

Since 1998, Andreas Schwarz has been a teacher of Art and English at the municipal girls’ high school in Essen Borbeck. From 2015 to 2021, he served as a private lecturer for art education at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He is a member of the Association for Art Education NRW (BDK) and the Colour Literacy Project. His research focuses on the didactics and methodology of colour in art classes, the history of colour in art education, the cultural history of colours, the history and theory of colour systems, and the history of doctrines of colour harmony. He is author of several colour articles and books, such as ‘Farbkompetenz, Orientierungshilfen für eine Didaktik zum Umgang mit Farbe im Kunstunterricht’, published in 2022 (in English, Colour competence - Orientation aids for didactics for dealing with colour in art teaching). For more information visit Andreas’ website: https://dr-andreas-schwarz.de/en/index_en.html