First published 2024
Hans Hartung stood among the most significant artists of the twentieth century. His abstract paintings secured his reputation, yet his insights into art and creativity extended far beyond his own canvas. Art historian Thomas Schlesser, who directs the Hartung-Bergman Foundation, has collected the painter's most revealing observations about fellow artists and the nature of artistic creation itself. Hartung's commentary spans both his influences and his peers, offering readers direct access to how one major artist understood his craft and his place within the broader artistic landscape. The volume presents Hartung's voice without filter, allowing his perspectives on predecessors and contemporaries to illuminate the creative mind at work. Schlesser's curation reveals an artist who observed the world around him with the same precision he brought to his paintings. This collection serves as both portrait and primer, showing how Hartung processed the artistic currents of his era while developing his own distinctive approach to abstraction.
Genres: biography, art, 20th-century, non-fiction, art-history
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: portrait, primer
Period: 20th-century
68 pages · Paperback · Eris