Abstraction in White 1954

Hans Hofmann made this painting, Abstraction in White, with oil on canvas, and to me it feels like pure process, the joy of pushing paint around. There’s something so direct about the way Hofmann applies these blocks of colour, they almost feel like collaged paper, floating on the surface, you can clearly see each brush stroke, the texture of the paint, the way the colours interact. I love the boldness of his palette - the red, green, blue, pink, yellow and brown - and how they create a dynamic tension against the white background. Look at that green block, you can see the individual strokes and the slight variations in colour. It feels like a record of a moment, a decision, a gesture. Hofmann’s work reminds me a little of Matisse in that way, this exploration of colour and form for its own sake. In the end, this painting is a reminder that art doesn't always need to represent something specific, it can just exist as a beautiful, messy, and endlessly fascinating thing in itself.