About the Work
The artwork 'Red Parable' by Hans Hofmann is full of contrasts. The complementary colours of red and green define the painting and stand opposite each other in the colour circle; that is to say, they heighten each other to maximum brilliance. Mixed together, on the other hand, they result in a dull brown. Hofmann plays the colours off against each other: delicate red, running out at the edges, stands next to green which has been applied opaquely with a broad brush. A third component links the two levels: red pastose accents have been set on the canvas using a palette knife and then crossed out. The areas of colour, ranging from transparent to opaque, are created using different tools and techniques: paintbrush and palette knife, shaking and dripping. Hofmann lets the paint play an active role. Although he defines a basic structure, he allows the material space to develop freely.
