When I came across "The Science of Color and Art," taught by Andrew Hamilton, professor of chemistry and president emeritus of New York University, I was intrigued. The word science in the title caught my attention first. The idea that it could serve as a bridge into the unfamiliar world of art made the course feel far less intimidating. Curious about the relationship between science and art, I decided to enroll.
Aashma Varma, NYUAD Class of 2028, during a tie-dye workshop to learn about the chemistry behind pigments extracted from natural sources such as coffee and turmeric.
A moment of connection
On the first day of the class, Professor Hamilton explained that while the topics of arts and science are often separated today, the two used to be closely linked before the 19th century.
We explored the topic of alchemy and how early painters essentially used chemistry to create their own pigments.
I have always viewed arts and science as distinct, unrelated fields, but the course made me realize that art needs science, and vice versa. I began looking at artwork in a new way, like how an artist’s choice of color can reveal a lot about the time period or the region they lived in.
Hands on learnings
The workshops we attended were a crucial element to our learning process. A color theory workshop taught us about oil paintings and how colors were mixed. Our experiment with the Zorn palette, a limited color palette that is traditionally made up of just four colors, deepened my understanding of how painters work with the limited materials or resources they were given.
The Zorn palette is traditionally made up of yellow ochre, cadmium red, ivory black, and titanium white, but when masterfully blended in different proportions, it can produce an impressive range of colors for an artist to paint with.
A tie-dye workshop using pigments extracted from natural sources such as coffee and turmeric highlighted the chemistry behind the course. The colors produced by these compounds are a result of their ability to absorb certain wavelengths of light and reflect others, making visible the molecular properties that create color.
I really enjoyed the fact that what we learned in the classroom was then put into practice almost immediately through these community-based learning trips. The deep focus on a single subject over a short, intense couple of weeks gave us greater understanding of the material compared to a regular semester, where we have to divide our time and energy for other courses.
My J-Term reflections
Professor Hamilton is an incredible educator who is deeply empathetic toward his students. Allowing us the freedom to explore our own interests while using the classwork as a foundation for his assignments deepened our curiosity, which I find much more important than grades themselves.
While his passion for chemistry is evident, his extensive knowledge of art history is what truly made the course feel complete. On the last day of our J-Term class, Professor Hamilton sat us down by the palm trees at John Sexton Square during sunset and shared many stories of his life in the classroom with us. It was a moving and memorable wrap-up to my J-Term.
