Split Infinity #9BS

Herb Aach (1923–1985) was an American painter and writer. Aach's painting style is known for its intense and well placed pigmentation, which stemmed from his deep interest in color theory and color relationships. This interest in color theory and philosophy would lead him to write one of the most notable translations of Goethe's Color Theory. He was interested in all phases of color, phenomenology, perception, and fluorescence. He taught at the Pratt Institute (1947-51, 1965-68) the Brooklyn Museum, the Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture (1969-70), and was an assistant professor at Queens College from 1966. Herb Aach was born in Cologne, Germany in 1923. It was in Germany where Aach would be exposed to fine art, studying under German expressionist painter Ludwig Meidner. Nazi persecution caused his family to flee, and in 1938 he arrived in New York City. In 1942 he enlisted in the United States Army and a year later he became a U.S. citizen.

In the 1970s Aach visited East Germany to participate in the International Research and Exchanges Board outreach program to broaden cultural exchanges between the West. While in East Germany he studied at the Goethe archives in Weimar and became interested in rose windows. Back in New York, he worked with city officials to paint city bridges bright colors, such as the Madison Avenue Bridge which was painted lavender. He became president of the Artists Technical Research Institute in 1975.

In 1979 he was diagnosed with cancer and due to illness he became unable to paint, taking up drawing as his main format. He died October 14, 1985 of cancer at the Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center. As translator of Goethe's color theory, Aach can be associated with painter Robert Delaunay as well as with Alfred Jensen. His paintings and works on paper largely consist of variations on different shape and color combinations.