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The Golden Wall

Abstract painting of bright rectangles in various sizes, in shades of light and dark orange as well as yellow, blue, lime green, and pink. A small white, amorphous shape sits at top center.

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  • Abstract painting of bright rectangles in various sizes, in shades of light and dark orange as well as yellow, blue, lime green, and pink. A small white, amorphous shape sits at top center.

Date:

1961

Artist:

Hans Hofmann
American, born Germany, 1880-1966

About this artwork

After studying in Paris among early Fauve and Cubist artists, and having an influential teaching career in Germany and the United States, Hans Hofmann began to devote himself exclusively to his own painting in 1958. Frustrated by the limits of linear perspective, he introduced his “push-and-pull” theory in order to create a more dynamic sense of space in his paintings, in which forms and colors appear to simultaneously advance and recede. In The Golden Wall, rectangles of varying sizes and colors direct the gaze across the picture. Some forms appear to float above the expressive brushstrokes that punctuate the work, while others are embedded in the background, providing the canvas with a lively sense of movement and dimension.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Hans Hofmann

Title

The Golden Wall

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1961

Medium

Oil on canvas

Inscriptions

Titled and signed on verso; upper right in black pen: “the golden wall, oil on canvas, 1961, Hans Hofmann”

Dimensions

Unframed: 152.4 × 183.5 cm (60 × 72 1/4 in.); 152.4 × 183.6 cm (60 × 72 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Logan Purchase Prize Fund

Reference Number

1962.775

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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