Locke and Hume’s Philosophical Theory of Color is Investigated through a Case Study of Esref Armagan, An Artist Born Blind Abstract

[摘要] Thisarticle investigates Locke and Hume’s philosophicaltheory of color, through a study of the fine art practice of Esref Armagan,a Turkish artist who was born blind. The philosophical theory of color isimportant to the cultural history of blindness, as it has been used to justifyearly curricula in schools for the blind. This study is based on the followingresearch question: Can people who are born blind understand color in the finearts? The study is part of a grounded methodology study of art practices andvisual impairment, whose findings informed a participatory study of museumaccess. This article examines part of the study’s first phase, and focuses onthe practice of the blind Turkish artist, Esref Armagan. Data was collectedthrough a translated correspondence interview with Esref Armagan, and anexamination of research articles focusing on Armagan’s drawing skills. Thestudy’s data is analyzed using Anderson, Krathwohl, and Bloom’s (2001) learninghierarchy. It is found that Armagan has an extensive knowledge of color andother visual concepts, developed symbolically. What is more, not only does Armaganhave a knowledge of color, but he can use this knowledge creatively inaccordance with Anderson et al.’s (2001) highest level of learning (level 6).The article concludes that Locke and Hume’s philosophical theory of color canbe challenged in the context of the creative fine arts, as Armagan coulddevelop unique, creative images using color. Therefore, our application of thephilosophical theory of color on the education of students with visualimpairments, and the pedagogical and andragogical practice based on thesetheories, should be questioned.

[学科分类] 眼科学

[关键词] Blind;visuallyimpaired;color;Enlightenment;John Locke;David Hume;drawing;painting;phenomenology;fine art;mind-body problem;language