Berlin Summer Studio

Berlin has a culture and history of visual color ranging from famous art collections to vibrant street life. This is a city of museums, where important historical works of art can be admired and studied. But the present is just as alive in its many contemporary galleries, artist studios, and vibrant graffiti. As the last outpost of the wildly influential Bauhaus movement, Berlin partakes in the story of the great color study pioneers Johannes Itten and Joseph Albers, who left an important legacy for future generations of artists. It is with this Bauhaus tradition that Colorama, the summer 2019 Bard in Berlin program, begins.

In the studio, students will explore color in a variety of mediums, including painting, collage, and printmaking. Color-Aid paper and paint will be utilized in a series of color interaction studies. Special technical workshops will be given each week, and will include paper marbling, linoleum cuts, and printing without a press. Emphasis will be placed on exploring mediums that promote a broader material vocabulary of color interactions—suitable for use alone or in combination. Weekly field trips to museums as well as visits to artists’ studios will contextualize the focus on various characteristics of color and offer inspiration for more personal expression.