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Ulrich Binder

Physik der Farbe [Physics of Colour]

Eine praktische Farbenlehre für Architektur, Design und Handwerk


Book design: Thomas Gfeller, Basel

German, 112 pages, 19 × 25 cm
ca. 70 images, hardcover

Euro (D) 29.–, Euro (A) 29.80

available
ISBN 978-3-03863-021-0

CHF   32.00



Not just a colour ...


Ulrich Binder provides a brave new theory of colour: away from tonal values, primary colours and mixing ratios, he focusses on the topic of colour by looking at its qualities and how the material is perceived.

Anyone who has painted or varnished knows that there are additional characteristics beyond the “objective” colour values, which are not to be found in the literature, but are significant for the way the colour is experienced: How smooth is the colour, does its shine remain after it has been painted on? Is it easy to stir or to mix? Can you add several layers or does the colour remain slick or even become bitty?

Physik der Farbe [Physics of Colour] looks at co­lour from the perspective of its tactility – at what you can feel between thumb and forefinger, what is transferred from paintbrush to canvas.

The book does not use new terminology, but sharpens everyday language used to describe colour, as this points to experiences had and jour­neys made with the material.

In addition to chromaticity, there is always a consistency, a degree of gloss, a rigidity or per­meability that can be felt. There is also a surface coverage or texture under the layer of colour which “forces” itself to be perceived by the viewer – colour rarely acts alone.

The publication is divided into three parts: “Appearance of Colour” focusses on its charac­teristics of being shiny, matt, raw, fine, smooth, dark or light; “Visual Haptics” draws attention to colour phenomena such as warmth, distance, density, time, gravitation; the final section focus­ses on practical application, on which options of applying paint exist: with a brush, rolled on, combed, sprayed, with a knife, glazed, etc...


About the author:

Born in 1958.
Attended Lucerne School of Arts and Crafts.
Studied art in Prague, Paris and Bern.
Starting in 1991, he taught at the School of Design in Zurich; later, he lectured at Zurich University of the Arts.
Academic member of staff at the Institute for
Theory at ZHdK since 2003.
Writer and publisher of different publications on photography, art and architecture.
Landscape painter.

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