Josef Albers - Truth of the Material Exercise

The exercise was created by Josef Albers, the Artist and teacher at the Bauhaus.

The Bauhaus pioneered Modern Art and Design, a key concept of which being 'truth of the material'. This is the idea that the way a material is used should demonstrate something about that material.

This is in contrast to the Arts and Crafts movement, where materials are often highly decorated to mimic natural patterns.

To illustrate the concept of truth of the material, Albers would have students make 'paper experiments', where 3D structures are made out of paper. Students are encouraged to be inventive with how they use paper to construct abstract structures that expresses the material qualities of paper itself (see above image).

In this exercise, students will be given a short talk about the concept of 'truth of the material', after which they will be given a material and tasked with creating a structure that demonstrates the materials properties.

The material they are given can be chosen by the teacher, but all students should have the same materials as this highlights inventiveness and versatility.

Some materials I like include:

• a large sheet of paper
• a paper clip
• a paper clip and a small piece of paper

This exercise can be hard for students to get their head around if they are new to thinking about modern Art. If some students are struggling, a 'halfway mini critique' highlighting one or two pieces is useful to spread understanding in the group.

Useful links: https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/bauhaus/new_artist/matter_materials/interactive/

Students will then create and document a piece of artwork that demonstrates an understanding of the 'truth' of that material.

A group critique following the students work

This should be documented and critiqued in the students sketchbook