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Hans Hofmann Biography

Hans Hofmann (March 21, 1880 – February 17, 1966) was a German-born American abstract expressionist painter.

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Hans Hofmann Quotes

There is in reality no such thing as modern art. Art is carried on up and down in immense cycles through centuries and civilizations.

Art, Civilization, Immense, Modern, Reality

As a teacher I approach my students purely with the human desire to free them from all scholarly inhibitions, and I tell them, "Painters must speak through paint not through words.

Desire, Inhibitions, Students, Teacher, Tell

The truly monumental can only come about by means of the most exact and refined relation between parts. Since each thing carries both a meaning of its own and an associated meaning in relation to something else - its essential value is relative. We speak of the mood we experience when looking at a landscape. This mood results from the relation of certain things rather than from their separate actualities. This is because objects do not in themselves possess the total effect they give when interrelated.

Essentials, Exact, Giving, Mean, Monumental, Thing

A thought functions only as a fragmentary part in the formulation of an idea.

Fragmentary, Function, Functions, Idea, Ideas, Part

A work of art is a world in itself reflecting senses and emotions of the artist's world. Just as a flower, by virtue of its existence as a complete organism is both ornamental and self-sufficient as to color, form, and texture, so art, because of its singular existence is more than mere ornament.

Art, Emotions, Flower, Ornament, Reflecting, Self

We are connected with our own age if we recognize ourselves in relation to outside events; and we have grasped its spirit when we influence the future.

Age, Connected, Events, Spirit

To worship the product and ignore its development leads to dilettantism and reaction.

Development, Dilettantism, Ignore, Product, Reactions, Worship

Since light is best expressed through differences in color quality, color should not be handled as a tonal gradation, to produce the effect of light.

Color, Differences, Effect, Handled, Light

I can't understand how anyone is able to paint without optimism.

Able, Optimism, Paint, Passion, Understand

Art is the expression of the artist´s overflowing soul.

Art, Artists, Expression, Soul

The child is really an artist, and the artist should be like a child, but he should not stay a child. He must become an artist. That means he cannot permit himself to become sentimental or something like that. He must know what he is doing

Art, Become, Children, Mean, Permit, Stay

Painters must speak through paint, not through words.

Paint, Painter, Painters, Speak

The creative process lies not in imitating, but in paralleling nature translating the impulse received from nature into the medium of expression, thus vitalizing this medium. The picture should be alive, the statue should be alive, and every work of art should be alive.

Art, Expression, Imitating, Lying, Paralleling

A thing in itself never expresses anything. It is the relation between things that gives meaning to them and that formulates a thought. A thought functions only as a fragmentary part in the formulation of an idea.

Expresses, Function, Giving, Ideas, Part, Relation

An idea can only be materialized with the help of a medium of expression, the inherent qualities of which must be surely sensed and understood in order to become the carrier of an idea

Become, Expression, Ideas, Inherent, Order, Qualities

The whole world, as we experience it visually, comes to us through the mystic realm of color. Our entire being is nourished by it. This mystic quality of color should likewise find expression in a work of art.

Art, Color, Entire, Expression

Every art expression is rooted fundamentally in the personality and temperament of the artist.

Art, Expression, Fundamentally, Personality

Our entire being is nourished by color.

Color, Entire, Nourished

Art and science create a balance to material life and enlarge the world of living experience. Art leads to a more profound concept of life, because art itself is a profound expression of feeling.

Art, Concept, Expression, Living, Profound

And so artistic creation is the metamorphosis of the external physical aspects of a thing into a self-sustaining spiritual reality.

Reality, Self, Spiritual, Thing

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