Provenance: Estate of Hans Hofmann.
André Emmerich Gallery, New York, New York (acquired directly from the above in 1975).
Hokin Gallery, Palm Beach, Florida (acquired directly from the above in 1976).
Collection of H. Jerome and Thelma Rubenstein Joseph (acquired directly from the above in 1977).
Collection of Dr. and Mrs. Milton Wahl (by family descent in 2008).
Private Collection, Delaware (by family descent).

LITERATURE:
Suzi Villiger, ed., Hans Hofmann: Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings, Volume II, Burlington, Vermont: Lund Humphries, 2014, no. P446.

NOTE:
Painted in 1943, Landscape no. 109 appears to depict a familiar scene in the vicinity of Provincetown, Massachusetts where Hans Hofmann kept a studio and summer teaching practice. Provincetown had long served as a colony of artists and writers of the avant-garde, and Hofmann's school offered an attractive change of scenery where artists could focus solely on studio work. Hofmann's instruction emphasized the practice of formal painting and fundamental techniques which he believed to be critical first steps in the development of an individual artistic style. This methodical approach to his work and teaching did not, however, dampen his exuberance and genuine affection for his students, which was inspirational and infectious. Many influential artists of the Abstract Expressionist movement, such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock were drawn to the renowned instructor, and his influence can be seen in their significant and varied bodies of work.

Hofmann's style synthesized elements of Fauvism, Cubism and Expressionism, while incorporating his own innovative abstract theory which relied on the "push and pull" of interacting colors and form. As the artist himself articulated, "form only exists through color and color only exists through form." [1] Indeed, in the present work, rounded triangles of yellow, peach and blue suggest colorful sails billowing and crowding a busy, bright and energetic harbor scene. Blocks of green, pink and lavender are overlaid with scratches and squiggles that insist upon the gesture of the artist's hand, and beautifully convey the brisk delight of a summer day.

[1] Hans Hofmann, "Form und Farbe in der Gestaltung: Ein Lehrbuch für den Kunstunterricht," unpublished manuscript, 1931. Translated into English by Glenn Wessels, "Creation in Form and Color: A Textbook for Instruction in Art," 1931.

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Lot 17

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