Goethe's Theory of Colours

Colour changes under the eye of an observer, a painter and an experimenter in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's study. Translated with notes by Charles Lock Eastlake, this English edition presents the didactic portion of Goethe's larger work. Eastlake's preface explains its disputes with Newton while arguing for the value of its observations on contrast, gradation and colour harmony. That distinction gives readers a useful starting point for a book linking scientific inquiry with artistic practice.

The numbered passages examine particular materials and visible effects. Litmus changes with acids and alkalis; steel takes on different colours; heat alters the appearance of glass containing iron. Goethe uses such cases to develop his account of relationships among hues. For readers interested in painting or the history of ideas about colour, the appeal lies in these close descriptions and in the effort to connect what the eye perceives with what artists use.