How Long to Read Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson

How Long Does it Take to Read Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson?

It takes the average reader 15 hours and 48 minutes to read Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson by Dawn V. Rogala

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

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. Chapter One provides context for the technical study of Hofmann's materials. The research goals and resources are outlined and the research structure is presented. An overview of Abstract Expressionism is provided and the difference between abstract and nonobjective painting is delineated. The Abstract Expressionist social network is discussed in relation to shifting focus in artist activism and arts criticism, and the prominent role of materials in Abstract Expressionism is revealed as a transformative step in the modernist shift towards materiality and process art. The relationship between the Abstract Expressionists and their materials is discussed, as are the long-term ramifications of the artists' experimental painting techniques and materials. Technical studies related to Abstract Expressionist materials are presented as a tool in the preservation of work by the Abstract Expressionists and the generations of artists influenced by their work. Chapter One closes with an overview of Hofmann's position at the center of the Abstract Expressionist community and Hofmann's assignation by critics and practitioners as an Abstract Expressionist exemplar. Chapter Two traces Hofmann's exposure to the avant-garde arts communities of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century Europe and the United States, with a focus on Hofmann's years in the modern art centers of Munich, Paris, and New York City. Parallel innovations in modern painting and modern paint technology are highlighted throughout the chapter. Hofmann's early years in late nineteenth-century Munich are discussed, including Hofmann's early interest in modern art, the activities of Munich's modernist arts community, and the Munich artists' exposure to newly developed and experimental painting materials. Hofmann's relocation to Paris is also presented in relation to parallel advances in modern art and art technology and the international dialogue among modernist arts centers. Hofmann's interaction with Paris-based artists and modern art movements is discussed, and the ideological exchange between the Munich and Paris modernist communities is presented. The impact of early twentieth-century paint materials innovation on modern art movements and the continuing modernist embrace of new paint materials is emphasized. Hofmann's return to Munich is primarily discussed in terms of Hofmann's first art school—the Hans Hofmann Schule für Bildende Kunst—and its role in establishing Hofmann as a direct link to avant-garde arts education after World War I. American students' early interest in Hofmann's teaching is presented, along with the resulting relocation of Hofmann to the United States. Hofmann's role in American modern art education is discussed, and Hofmann's relationship to West Coast educators and artists is established. New York City's position as the new center of the international modernist community is discussed. The presence of the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts at the center of the mid-twentieth century modernist community is discussed, including the active role played by Hofmann and his students in re-establishing a summer outpost for the modern art community in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Parallel advancements in American modern art and modern paint manufacture are discussed, and Hofmann's schools are presented as a nexus for information exchange regarding experimental materials and techniques. Chapter Three provides an overview of Hofmann's late-career painting style and existing documentation regarding Hofmann's materials. Critical commentary regarding Hofmann's shifting painting style is refuted and the continuous trajectory of Hofmann's late-career paintings is explored as a melding of Cubist principles and German aesthetic philosophy with modern science. Hofmann's late-career work with mosaic murals is presented as a key factor in the creation of Hofmann's signature visual vocabulary. The material nature of Hofmann's paintings and technique are discussed, and the role of materials in Hofmann's aesthetic philosophy is presented. A tentative outline of Hofmann's materials has been created from a compilation of existing published and unpublished documentation. The selection of twenty-six paintings and eight palettes for the technical study is discussed and the study group selections are presented. Material-related behaviors common to modern paintings and unique to Hofmann's work are discussed, and past and current conservation methodology in the treatment of Hofmann's paintings is reviewed. Chapter Four presents the results and discussion of the materials analysis performed on the study group paintings. Ground layer stratigraphy and identification of inorganic pigments is obtained using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry were used to identify binders and organic pigments, and X-ray diffraction was employed to distinguish between selected paints with similar inorganic components. Multiple analytical techniques were employed for the complementary and broad characterization of the binders and pigments. Each technique is discussed, and results are presented. Non-original materials are identified and excluded and Hofmann's late-career materials are catalogued. Hofmann's palette is revealed as a selection of new materials embraced by the modernist communities with whom Hofmann lived in Munich, Paris, and New York. This "modern" palette has been found to be largely traditional artist's oil paints; condition issues in Hofmann's late work appear consistently in association with the artist's use of zinc white oil paint, alkyd paint, and alizarin oil paint. In each of these cases, the modern material chosen by Hofmann performed poorly in response to commonly used painting techniques or to the structural requirements of paintings that combined new and traditional art materials. Examples of mixed traditional and modern painting materials in the work of other Abstract Expressionist painters are provided. This dissertation concludes with a call for inclusive technical scholarship on Abstract Expressionism that acknowledges the ramifications of transitional arts practice and the role of physical evidence in art historical study. Shifts in conservation methodology for the treatment of modern paintings are discussed. Hofmann's value as a modernist exemplar is reiterated and topics of study that re-establish Abstract Expressionism within the modernist continuum are presented. The related appendix contains representative data for all analyses performed on 519 discrete paint samples and 28 fiber samples.

How long is Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson?

Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson by Dawn V. Rogala is 926 pages long, and a total of 237,056 words.

This makes it 313% the length of the average book. It also has 290% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 21 hours and 35 minutes to read Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson aloud.

What Reading Level is Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson?

Hans Hofmann's Last Lesson is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

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