Colour harmony in the context of teaching

Abstract

This paper addresses the problem of normative aesthetics and how it can play out in the teaching of colour in the creative field of art and design. A brief historical overview of a representative selection of different theories of colour harmony is given, showing clearly how heterogeneous such theories are. Some examples of critical voices and alternative views on the notion of colour harmony are provided, as well as an examination of the concept of colour harmony in the context of modern and contemporary art. The conclusions of this study are that objective and universally applicable criteria of colour harmony do not exist, and that most theories of colour harmony are restrictive and normative and therefore questionable in the field of art and design pedagogy.