Jennifer Hoppa, the writer behind Tulsa People's arts blog "Gallery Hopper", recently visited us to see our current exhibition, "Hans Hofmann: Circa 1950". She makes some great observations and also took some great photos. You can read the entire article and see the photos HERE.Here is an excerpt...
“I have devoted my whole life to the search of the Real in painting,” wrote Hans Hofmann. As an artist pivotal to the formation of abstract expressionism, Hofmann’s paintings may not seem very “real” to those viewers normally unimpressed by the abstract art forms.
I recently toured the exhibit at Philbrook and I must tell you that the color and energy conveyed through Hofmann’s canvases illicit emotions that are as “real” as they get. “Hans Hofmann Circa 1950″ will be at the museum through May 9, but why wait until then? Everyone I know is eagerly anticipating the onset of summer and Hofmann’s exuberant color palette definitely sets the mood for brighter, warmer days ahead.
Hofmann studied modernism in Germany during his youth before then traveling to Paris, where he encountered artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Next, in his adult life, Hofmann relocated to the states and taught at his own school for more than four decades, making European modernism accessible to students from all over. Apart from his legacy of paintings Hofmann also left behind many essays in which he laid the groundwork of his own philosophy of art. His “push-pull” theory, the most enduring, outlines ideas for creating space, depth and movement on a canvas.
The famed art critic Clement Greenberg wrote that Hofmann is “in all probability the most important art teacher of our time.” Did anyone see the Clement Greenberg exhibit at Philbrook four or so years back? I loved it!
One thing that interests me at an exhibit is how the space is transformed to meet the needs of the current collection. Since I visit Philbrook regularly, it is easy for me to spot the transformations made to accommodate new art. The Hofmann exhibit, for example, is much smaller than the last exhibit I saw and the walls have been arranged differently to make the space more intimate. The bright blue walls are also totally stellar and really highlight the work.
