| Watter Benjamin SELECTED WRITINGS VOLUME 1 1913-1926 Edited by Marcus Bullock | and Michael W. Jennings THE BELKNAP PRESS OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, Massochusls lend, EnglondA Child's View of Color Jos someting spice, smthing whore lacy isa so tat ‘thn col re tive ey produce nunc of clr ots br The “intow i pce cli lage In clr is whol curator the Peon nih il ope hm en oe eo ‘Stehingsaperimored on mae» fo wl, Te ar abot fom col, eardng ta dsp cloak for india! bjs exiting inne aad ace Where colo provides the contous, obs are ot feds to things bute conned by an rd coniting of nate Tange of mance: Color ssp nota flee hing and i ini ity br ar ing atte the Bi from one foes the ext. Chien tna up bua Smat panes with uated i, ong Kit esis parlor are even plot Pctse book, and, ser extent, making {Rie y fling pop ool this vew of cole “Ger ike he way color shuns in abl sing nuances soap buble) ce ake dfn snd exchanges nines, 5 ‘Sclapo nag snd he pes produ! by Scand mags aw ‘Cok or then color fd the me fal changes and nos symptom. ‘For ee ar ot conned wh te-dimensnaly, hs they pec thou ht sene of ouch, Trang of dtcon within ch ofthe ‘Soe (ps Sesng, and vo on prema rer incident in ul ose aly to cones the ferent seis more developed. The SRL ew of clr secs the higher an ecopen of te ese tsa pct tl Ba cn a Sth spa vel enue sey perceive objects aezordig tothe enlor {Suet and hence do arnt them, sted ng hem a3 bas fom AChiIES View of Color 51 whic oceate she interrelated totaly ofthe world ofthe imagination. The liagination canbe developed onl by conterplaing color and desling with ther inthis fashion nly nh way cant be oth std and ep win ‘bounds. Wherever it apple il othe plastic art Becomes one lsh the sume applies to history and in mu see. For the fc tat the ‘imagination never engages with fem, which s the concern ofthe law, but «assOny contemplate the living woud froma hema pln of view crestiely in felng. This aes place throug color, which fr tht ceson cannot be ‘single 2nd pore, for ten i remains dll. Ttad, wherever no confined to lusteating obo, i mus be fall flight and shade, fll of movement, scbicary and always beauifl. In this respect, eorngin has ute ‘Pedagogical function than pening, so long a it maker transparent and fesh succes, eather than rendeing the blotchy skin of things Prodactive dul derive no support fm olor for them clor can subst oly wah lawgiencisumstances. Thi tao provide a word onde moto Baap innermost reatons and esenes butt deeop them In» cil ie, olor ‘isthe pure expression ofthe cis pre cecepivig insofar a i dred a the world I contain a lpi instruction to 4 eof the Spice which {no more dependent om accidental cumstances fr es ereatviy that lo, for allies eceptiviy, is apableof communicating about the xtece of dead cau rely Chile’ drawings take colorfulnes as thie point of departure This ‘ala olor ins retest posible wanoprency, and thete no telrenee {0 form, aces or concentration into a single space. For pace vision Is oncemed not with space and objets but with coon wich ors indeed be ‘concerned with objets but not with spatially organised obec Asa ate ining stars from nature and moves cutaatvely coward form, Ths once of color with objects is not based onthe forms witout even ‘ouching on them empirically gos right tothe epstual Bea of te object by lating the sense of sight Te canes oa the inlet ecovreferenecs ‘ofthe soul and creates a pure mood, without thereby sacicing the worl, © Colorfunes docs no simulate the animal sentes bene the hd’ uncor ‘uptedinaginaie activity springs fom the sal Bue because cen See ‘with pur eyes, without allowing themeclves tobe emotionally sconce, itis someting spa the rainbow sefers nos tot chen aoacson ba ‘life in art. The order of ae isparadsealbecte ther no thought of the dislution of boundaries~ from exchement—in the objet of expe tence. Instead the words fal of color ina sat of dentin incensed harmony. Children ae nt ashamed, since they donot rfc but ony se ‘Fragment wien 1914-1915 saphena tine, Tle by Rod se Unger