The Mannequin 1946

Hans Hofmann made "The Mannequin" using oil on canvas. The colors are singing, right? It’s like Hofmann threw a party on this canvas and everyone was invited. The green background feels like a stage, and these shapes are dancing around, improvising. Look at the surface, how the colors sit next to each other, bumping and blending. The pink form on the left feels so fleshy and alive, compared to the flat background. It is these juxtapositions that keeps the eye moving, looking for resolution. I am drawn to the head. It's got this yellow, black and white area with scribbled black lines and floating dots. It's like a little universe all its own, held together by these fragile marks. Hofmann was a teacher, and you can see that he is working out a method here, one that’s about being open to possibilities, about letting the painting lead you. Think Joan Mitchell or even Helen Frankenthaler, who also were masters of colour. This piece embraces not knowing, and celebrates finding out.