Many artists still rely on the principles described by Johannes Itten, including filmmakers, photographers, web designers, illustrators, and stylists. The great thing about his study was that it synthesized earlier works on color theory, analyses of famous works of art by artists through the ages, and even the chemical composition of pigments, but was (and is) easy for anyone to understand and use. In the 1920’s he taught at Bauhaus, a famous German art school, where he developed a course to teach students the basics of color theory. While his expressionist works certainly deserve close attention, Itten is primarily known for his innovative thoughts on color theory. Johannes Itten was a Swiss-born painter and art theorist. One of the most basic and easiest-to-use tools to help you combine colors effectively is Itten’s color wheel. What’s next? Understanding color theory and the relationships between hues will really take your photos and videos to the next level.Ĭolor is a truly powerful tool that helps you tell your story, set the right mood, emphasize certain elements in your work, and in general, make everything look better and more complete. So you’ve learned the basic rules of composition and figured out how to work with lighting.