One of the most accomplished abstract painters and influential teachers of the 20th century, Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) shaped three generations of artists, both in Europe and the United States. These students included Joan Mitchell, Larry Rivers, Allan Kaprow, and Marisol. As a painter, Hofmann is best remembered for his exhilarating large scale compositions that explore dynamic color and spatial relationships, topics about which he wrote widely-read essays.
The Hole Gallery on Bowery is the place to go right now to see two great exhibits under one roof. In tandem with the abstract group exhibit, Xtraction, the gallery is hosting two diverse bodies of work by painter Holton Rower that are equally impressive. Rower’s Pour Paintings, which resemble huge, abstract psychedelic targets as well as the concentric rings that appear in a bisected tree trunk, take their name from the artist’s process of pouring hand-made acrylic paints over a wood “canvas.”
The title of this monumental abstract painting by German visual artist Gerhard Richter translates to Abstract Painting (Faust) (1980). Clever! Oil on canvas in three sections, it was photographed by me with great stealth in a Super Secret Location!
