Gift of James G. Pepper '65

Living in Germany in the beginning of the 20th century, Hofmann’s early style synthesized modernist movements like Fauvism, Cubism, and Symbolism. Later in his painting career, he developed a style of pure abstraction expressionism concerned with unity, shape, experimentation, and primary colors to create “action painting,” a term used by many such as Jackson Pollock and influential critic Clement Greenberg by the end of the 1950s. Not only was Hofmann a renowned artist, but also an important teacher to a number of postwar artists, especially in the realm of abstract expressionists. This gouache work completed in 1946, characterized by its bold, thick strokes of vivid paint, are evidence of Hofmann’s newly developed expressive style that greatly influenced postwar European and American art.