Suburban 1936

Hans Hofmann made this painting, Suburban, with oil on canvas, and what grabs me first is the way he's laying down colour like he's building a house. It’s a process, right? A back-and-forth, like a conversation. There's a luscious, thick yellow—it almost glows. It's not just a colour; it’s a substance, a feeling. Then, bam! A vertical stroke of red that cuts through the yellow, anchoring the whole scene. Hofmann isn't trying to trick you into thinking this is a real place; he’s showing you how paint can become a place. The texture isn't hidden; it's right there, part of the story. It’s like he’s saying, “Look, this is paint, but it’s also something more.” Hofmann, like Kandinsky, explored the spiritual in art through abstraction. But where Kandinsky is all angles and geometry, Hofmann is about the push and pull of color, the joy of just making marks. It’s an invitation to see the world, and painting, with fresh eyes.