Harald Küppers passed away on 31.01.2021. Professionally, he was the owner of a repro company for decades; privately, he devoted every available moment to the subject of colour. He wrote hundreds of articles in trade journals and newspapers, developed didactic materials, held teaching positions, held patents in multi-colour printing, wrote books and did research on colour. He was chairman of the department of reproduction technology in the Bundesverband Druck, a member of the board of trustees in the Deutsches Farbenzentrum e.V., worked in national and international colour standards committees, ...surely this list is incomplete... in short: Küppers was fully committed to the subject of colour and his work had a lasting impact on the printing industry.
Bei einem Spaziergang (wie er es plastisch in seinen Memoiren schildert) hatte er plötzlich ein Farbmodell vor Augen, mit dem man die subtraktive CMY-Farbmischung und gleichzeitig die additive RGB-Farbmischung intuitiv und einfach versteht: das „Rhomboeder-Modell“. Das Modell ist anschaulich, klar und überzeugend. Exakte Farbwerte oder Spektren lassen sich mit dem Rhomboeder-Modell aber nicht ermitteln. Es ist ein Anschauungsmodell – kein mathematisches Modell. Küppers war trotzdem bis zu seinem Lebensende davon überzeugt, dass seine Farbtheorie die endgültige sei – besser als CIELAB und andere. In diesem Sinn war er streitbar und angriffslustig bis über 90.
Clear and concise words belonged to the edgy character head, which he used in his numerous books. Küppers did not hide behind scientific-sounding empty words and technical vocabulary. This descriptive language allowed me a vivid understanding of colour, and opened the door to this interesting, mysterious and fascinating subject.
Harald Küppers was also a role model in the pursuit of chosen paths, the perseverance, the clarity, the explicitness.
I was allowed to meet Mr Küppers twice in person and both times I was very moved by this personality. His passing is a clear loss for the world of colour. Where do people like this still exist?
Holger Everding
Links
- Website kuepperscolor.com
- Wikipedia Artikel „Harald Küppers“
- Interview with Harald Küppers
- In Memoriam Harald Küppers
Obituary by Eckhard Bendin, Dt. Farbenzentrum e.V.
Image: Harald Küppers at the TU Dresden amidst his collection of paint, which he bequeathed to the TU in 2019.
