Spillway from "Bridge" series,

1995

In 1950, Albers began the series Homage to the Square in order to examine the optical effects of color juxtapositions. Works in the series contain nested squares whose spacing is governed by differing mathematical ratios. Within this standardized program, Albers experimented with chromatic variety and intensity, exploring the subjective experience of color and the effects of colors on one another. Albers once described these works as stages on which color might "act" and become a mutable, even deceptive, phenomenon. As seen here, the squares are rendered with variations in tone and brightness that cause some to project and others to recede. The artist developed his interest in color relationships as a student (beginning in 1920) and, later, a teacher at the Bauhaus, where he worked until the school’s closure in 1933.