Hans Hofmann
“The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color.” – Hans Hofmann
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Many cite Hans Hofmann’s impact as a teacher, yet fewer acknowledge him as one of the great painters of the American post-war period. Heather James is pleased to offer four exemplary works by Hofmann that demonstrate the remarkable breadth of his legacy. Important avenues of abstraction gained momentum in the wide swath carved by his teaching and example.
Born in 1880, a generation removed from the oldest Abstract Expressionists such as de Kooning or Rothko, Hofmann spent the crucial decade between 1904 and 1914 in Paris, knew Picasso and Matisse, and was on the scene when the great Cézanne retrospective opened in 1906. So, it is unsurprising that after arriving in New York in 1932, Hofmann took a somewhat circuitous path toward the signature style for which he is now best remembered. Decades before he painted vibrant rectangles of pure, floating color, commonly known as ‘slabs,’ Hofmann brushed, stained, and dripped paint with a looser, chance-based hand. Whether he or Pollock pioneered the “drip” painting technique is still unsettled. Less controversy surrounds the impact of his teaching on Joan Mitchell and several of the younger painters who turned toward a more lyrical brand of Abstract Expressionism — one more closely aligned with nature.
“Art is to me the glorification of the human spirit, and as such it is the cultural documentation of the time in which it is produced.” – Hans Hofmann
Untitled (View of Provincetown Harbor), c. 1937
No artist bridged the gap between European Modernism and American Abstract Expressionism like Hans Hofmann did. Untitled (View of Provincetown Harbor) combines elements from both periods seamlessly. It merges the unrestrained color of the Fauves with broadly brushed passages, foreshadowing the automatist techniques of the New York School. The painting is highly gestural, incorporating the motifs and dynamic speed of Raoul Dufy’s brushwork yet projecting a more masculine and bolder energy. This approach hints at the roots of Action Painting and reflects Hofmann’s innovative spirit during his time in Providence, Rhode Island.
Song of Love, 1952
A 72-year-old Hans Hofmann worked this canvas deliberately and thoughtfully to achieve impact through restraint. Generous open space allows the canvas to breathe where blue paint drips in expressive passages, flowing like liquid dreams. Hofmann’s work is never strongly associated with Surrealism. Yet, the attendant string-like tendrils that snake throughout the field touch the root of Surreal automatism, echoing the whimsical spirit of Miró. Most impressive, the open areas are not stark white or ‘toned’ but imbued with a shadowy presence that infuses the painting with a rich, haunting depth, making it a captivating and evocative visual experience.
The Climb, 1960
Painted at a time when most American painters either pushed abstraction in new directions or rejected it, The Climb is nevertheless a painting of its time, marked by a sensuousness and a deft, painterly touch. While the passages of The Climb are brushed rather than poured or stained, it reflects the delicate lyricism of his former student, Helen Frankenthaler, who, since 1952, had experimented with floating areas of color absorbed into the canvas with watercolor-like ease. On the other hand, these short bands and prismatic slurries recall those halcyon days in Paris when Hofmann worked through color theory with his good friend Robert Delaunay and thought a lot about prisms. It also reflects lessons learned from the Fauves and the artists who verily invented abstraction, Wassily Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Frantisek Kupka, and Piet Mondrian, to name a few of the key players. The Climb is a glorious expression of a painter drawing from both the past and the present, painting in a playful but not frivolous manner, fully informed and prepared to express his abilities as a painter simply and with great conviction.
Untitled, 1962
Painted not long after Hofmann retired from his teaching career, Untitled is a fulsome display of exuberant color marked by a confident, aggressive application of paint that showcases his ability to manipulate space and depth without traditional methods of perspective and modeling. The arcing vigorously brushed variegated blue and white passage is a bolt of energy brushed against warmer tones and dark areas, suspended within a room of spatial depth and dynamism that is visually engaging. This late period of Hofmann’s career is notable for this youthful explorative vigor, and the exploitation of his dynamic push-pull theory. The interplay of colors serves not just as aesthetic choices but as an embodiment of his theories, demonstrating the visual tension that brings the canvas to life with forms and colors advancing and receding, creating a lively surface that engages the viewer’s eye. The implied spatial depth and the energetic arc of electricity set within the rich warmth of the backdrop reflect his belief that abstract painting can evoke a sense of a three-dimensional world, not through direct representation, but through the emotional and visual forces of color and form.
Yellow Vase, 1942
Hofmann painted “Yellow Vase” just two years before his first solo exhibition at Art of This Century gallery in New York in 1944. This vibrant work is an impromptu study that examines the breakdown of form, which in 1942 was an evolving principle of Abstract Expressionism. Hofmann was a prominent teacher at this time, and his students included Helen Frankenthaler, Allan Kaprow, Michael Goldberg, and dozens of others. “Yellow Vase” captures the dynamism of Hofmann’s unique approach to representation and abstraction. His works’ energy and movement would prove to be among his most significant contributions to 20th Century American Art.
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