Rudolf Steiner’s Color Theory   A workshop for the Green School Parent‐Teacher community at BCAC – Ubud, Bali  

⇔ Polarity ⇔
(Polar Opposites)
Mother and Father of all spectrum
colors. Yellow and Blue contain the potential to
transform into the full spectrum through ‘Intensification’
Steiner attaches universal natural and spiritual significance to this pair

North Pole/ South Pole Night/Day Sun/Moon

Male/Female Beauty/Ugliness Love/Hate
Macrocosm/Microcosm Heaven/Hell Red/Green
Good/Evil Body/Spirit Dark/Light
Yin/Yang War/Peace Wisdom/Ignorance

Boarder Spectra

Rudolf Steiner Color Circle

 Breakdown of the Color Circle into Pairs

Characteristic Intermediate Harmonious, Complimentary Inharmonious Combinations

Combinations. Their
aesthetic and emotional
effects are consistent and
universal.
Characteristic Combinations, also called
Neighbors in the color circle.
Combinations. Their ‘After Images’ or
effects are consistent and ‘Simultaneous Contrasts.’ Too similar to create harmony
ubiquitous.

Red - Yellow Red/Yellow - Green Red - Green Red – Red/Yellow

Yellow - Blue Green – Blue/Red Red/Yellow - Blue Yellow/Red - Yellow
Blue - Red Blue/Red – Red/Yellow Blue/Red - Yellow Yellow - Green
Green - Blue
Blue – Blue/Red
Red/Blue - Red

The Individual Colors

The most noble Powerful - Joyous Light – Spirit – ‘Image of Life’. Dark/Cold – the Noble – Royal -
color; Red is the Luster color – light. Warm – Joyous. (Nature Plant Life). color of Soul. Severe. Violet
state all others Advancing forward The Color of ‘Perfect Retreats away and retreats away into
strive to attain. Red One step from the Yellow dissolves and Repose’. It’s effect is inwards. Associated darkness. This is
occupies it’s place zenith Red spreads into White. healing both for the with sorrow Blue is adjusted by
at the apex of an mind and body. conducive to thought controlling the ratio
upright triangle, Advances forward The color of Spirit, in mire than emotion. of Red to Blue, and
reigning supreme its deepened form it Green is the polar their relative
over the other When sullied this becomes Gold. opposites neutralized. Blue resonates with strengths in terms
colors. color represents It neither advances the human soul and pigment.
Red neither Except by adding nor retreats. In its draws the viewer in.
advances nor White, Yellow can blackened, negative Blue is a single step Sad, heavy,
retreats; instead it hardly be adjusted form Green connotes removed from the preponderating-
pulsates with life without changing into extreme lethargy - an color of darkest Violet can be serious
and energy. another color. almost pathological space, Violet, yet it to the point of
Blackened Red Blackened yellow is stasis. can also be light and severity: Hence its
represents ‘base’ grotesque. Envy – jealousy. refreshing. historical association
emotions and Greed. with monarchies.
 Characteristic Combinations

Power – Preponderance, Hot and Two extremes, at first cheerful and Red surrounded by Blue gains
Positive. attractive, but the mind/soul soon intensity, forcing it to coalesce into
tires of this harmony, which has a distinguishable shapes and forms.
hollow ring and appears superficial.

Intermediate Characteristic Combinations

Cheerful, light, airy. This harmony,
seems to breathe.
Green = repose, passivity, ‘image’.
Violet = extreme darkness,
melancholy, retreat. The atmosphere
is swampy, tropical, humid, and
strange.
Both colors are one step from the
zenith - Red. Hence, tension,
expectancy, something impending.

In
harmonious Combinations
These are neighbors in the Color Circle.
True harmony is dynamic and based on opposition, difference.
A color enhances the other, i.e., accentuates the other’s inherent nature.

These closely matched, limited

combinations help artists to achieve intense mood and atmosphere.
Picasso’s Blue Period is a classic example. Various shades of Blue and Violet can
plunge the viewer into a vast space or watery abyss. Apocalyptic, hellish scenes require Red, Violet and Red/Yellow.
 Effects of Black and White on Colors
The light, warm colors lose power and appear darker when surrounded by white.
On the other hand these colors gain intensity and strength and appear lighter against black.
The dark, cool colors gain intensity against a white ground and lose power when surrounded by black.

William Turner- Sullied color: Black + Brown El Greco – Nobility Caravaggio – warm flesh tones against Black space
And power of Red

Minton – Red and Black Siqueiros Van Gogh – Complimentary combination

Sullied colors with Red Yellow/Red-Blue
 Monet- Inharmonious Combination - Blue and Green Monet – Complimentary harmony – Red and Green

Kandinsky – effects of Black + Gray Cover for the book - The Individuality Van Gogh - Characteristic
on warm and cool colors of Color of Color – basically harmony – Polar Opposites
Red/Yellow and Violet Yellow and Blue

Mondrian- Red = power, the Zenith William Turner – near perfect harmony - Mark Rothko - Inharmonious
almost the complete spectrum Combination – Yellow and Yellow/Red

In nature the rainbow is the expression Picasso – Inharmonious combination Raphael – Complimentary Harmony
of perfect harmony - the full Red-Green plus flesh warm tones with
spectrum Red representing splendor and spirituality
 Sample Reading List

• The Mystery Wisdom of Color – Its Creative and Healing Powers

Gladys Mayer.
• The Individuality of Color – by Elisabeth Koch and Gerard Mayer.
• The Creative Power of Color – by Hilde Boos-Hamburger (a how to do it book - highly recommended)
• Conversations About Painting with Rudolf Steiner: Recollections of Five Pioneers of the New Art Impulse
by Rudolf Steiner (translated by Peter Stebbing
• On Joseph Beuys and Anthroposophy - by David Adams
• The Individuality Of Color: Contributions to a Methodical Schooling in Color Experience Forward by S,O. Prokofieff – by Elisabeth Wagner-Koch,
Gerhard Wagner. ISBN 9781855842267 (Highly recommended)
• Understand Your Temperament: a Guide to the Four Temperaments: Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Melancholic. By Dr Gilbert Childs