A stunning encapsulation of Hans Hofmann’s exemplary treatment of color and masterful balancing of form, Iris is a work by an artist at the zenith of his creative prowess. Executed in 1962, Iris is meticulously composed of brilliantly pigmented overlapping rectangles that form a transfixing and resounding testament to Hofmann’s virtuosic contribution to the trajectory of twentieth century art. Considered a forefather of the Abstract Expressionist movement, Hofmann incorporated elements of Cubism and Fauvism in his work but retained a singular commitment to innovation throughout his life that characterizes the entirety of his oeuvre.
After his retirement, the beloved teacher who counted Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner and Louise Nevelson among his students was able to devote the entirety of his energy to painting. Executed during this critical period, Iris exemplifies the artist’s signature “push-pull” synthesis, a theory he initially developed in the 1950’s. The rich azure, dazzling red and verdurous greens compel the eye over and across the canvas, drawing the viewer in with the entrancing interplay of form and color, creating an effect both ethereal and profound. Explaining the nature of this phenomenon in 1963 Hofmann explained: "push and pull is a colloquial expression applied for movement experienced in nature or created on the picture surface to detect the counterplay of movement in and out of the depth. Depth perception in nature and depth creation on the picture-surface is the crucial problem in pictorial creation." (Hans Hofmann quoted in: Exh. Cat., New York, Whitney Museum of American Art (and traveling), Hans Hofmann, 1990, p. 177) Drawing on his skills as an expert colorist, Hofmann’s compositions utilize varying hues to incite movement and create immense visual depth.
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Right: Andre Derian, The turning Road, L'estaque, 1906. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Photo © SCALA, Florence
"My ideal is to form and to paint as Schubert sings his songs and Beethoven creates a world in sounds."
The vitality and harmoniousness of Hofmann’s composition is melodious and beautiful. As Irving Sandler observed, "For Hofmann, who claimed that 'My ideal is to form and to paint as Schubert sings his songs and Beethoven creates a world in sounds,' the worlds of art and music were also interrelated...He went so far in his analogy as to liken a picture with 'its sequence of planes' to an 'instrument' that he could play, and the realization of a work of art to the swelling of an orchestra." (Irving Sandler, “Hans Hofmann: The Dialectical Master” in: Exh. Cat., New York, Whitney Museum of American Art (and traveling), Hans Hofmann, 1990, pp. 68-72) This exuberance is characteristic. Although much of Hofmann’s work evokes the colorful squares and rectangles of Piet Mondrian, Hofmann amplified these geometric forms to dazzling heights, creating utterly modern compositions entirely his own. His canvases saturated with color were paramount to the development of Abstract Expressionism and his influence as a teacher and forefather of the movement is indelible.
