Hans Hofmann's last lesson: a study of the artist's materials during the last decade of his career

Abstract

This dissertation identifies the late-career materials of Abstract Expressionist painter and teacher Hans Hofmann (1880-1966) and examines the relationships apparent among the artist’s materials, his signature painting style, and the physical and aging characteristics of his paintings. A representative catalogue of Hofmann's latecareer materials has been built from the analysis of over 500 paint and fiber samples focusing primarily on the last decade of the artist’s production (1955 through 1965), and a correlation found between condition issues in Hofmann’s work and a transitional mix of material and method endemic to Abstract Expressionist painting practice. The results of this research could inform the conservation of Abstract Expressionist and other works that incorporate both traditional and modern paint media by revealing a gap in current research and preservation methodology regarding modernist painting practice. [see dissertation for complete text of the author's abstract]