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Peter Hoffer On Sale

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Swimming Pool - large, blue, green, architecture, deconstruction, mixed media
By Peter Hoffer
Located in Bloomfield, ON
Peter Hoffer’s landscapes have one foot in classic realism and the other in deconstruction. Often Hoffer uses mixed media on wood with high gloss resin, but this particular work is p...
Category

2010s Contemporary Abstract Paintings

Materials

Clay, Linen, Pigment

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Peter Hoffer for sale on 1stDibs

Peter Hoffer's contemporary paintings have been described as being as much about studio materials and techniques as the subjects they convey. Peter Hoffer portrays trees. He invites the audience to take a closer look at their posture, their details and their expressions. The subject is as important as the technique: the way trees grate, scratch and age is as much of a concern to Hoffer as the trees themselves. They are painted in a very classical, realistic and almost photographic manner, but they have a strong contemporary feeling imparted by the epoxy resin finish and the rough wooden box on which the artist paints. Hoffer’s work is a paradoxical mix of past and present, old and new, rough and sophisticated, realistic and abstract, outside perspective and intimate feeling. The trees that Peter paints are not a copy of an existing geography. Sometimes he paints from photographs, but most of the time these trees are reminiscences. However, whether they exist or not, he sees his work as more about technique, about how he perceives the world, rather than the reality of the world itself. A few kilometres from Montreal, Peter has a cottage in the middle of the forest, which has become his lair, a place where he loves to paint. When he gets started, he starts by painting with oil on wood, then the more creative part begins: he applies touches of acrylic paint and several coats of epoxy varnish, which he makes himself. This process was inspired by the varnishes used in the academic painting salons of the 19th century, a way of embellishing paintings and conserving them. For the artist, it is a question of staging evocative landscapes, which will awaken memories, dreams, a feeling of déjà vu in each one. But at the second reading, if we see more than a landscape but a true reflection on art, the representation of nature and the painting as an object in itself, then he will have succeeded in his wager.

A Close Look at contemporary Art

Used to refer to a time rather than an aesthetic, Contemporary art generally describes pieces created after 1970 or being made by living artists anywhere in the world. This immediacy means it encompasses art responding to the present moment through diverse subjects, media and themes. Contemporary painting, sculpture, photography, performance, digital art, video and more frequently includes work that is attempting to reshape current ideas about what art can be, from Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s use of candy to memorialize a lover he lost to AIDS-related complications to Jenny Holzer’s ongoing “Truisms,” a Conceptual series that sees provocative messages printed on billboards, T-shirts, benches and other public places that exist outside of formal exhibitions and the conventional “white cube” of galleries.

Contemporary art has been pushing the boundaries of creative expression for years. Its disruption of the traditional concepts of art are often aiming to engage viewers in complex questions about identity, society and culture. In the latter part of the 20th century, contemporary movements included Land art, in which artists like Robert Smithson and Michael Heizer create large-scale, site-specific sculptures, installations and other works in soil and bodies of water; Sound art, with artists such as Christian Marclay and Susan Philipsz centering art on sonic experiences; and New Media art, in which mass media and digital culture inform the work of artists such as Nam June Paik and Rafaël Rozendaal.

The first decades of the 21st century have seen the growth of Contemporary African art, the revival of figurative painting, the emergence of street art and the rise of NFTs, unique digital artworks that are powered by blockchain technology.

Major Contemporary artists practicing now include Ai Weiwei, Cecily Brown, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, Jeff Koons, Takashi Murakami and Kara Walker.

Find a collection of Contemporary prints, photography, paintings, sculptures and other art on 1stDibs.

Finding the Right abstract-paintings for You

Bring audacious experiments with color and textures to your living room, dining room or home office. Abstract paintings, large or small, will stand out in your space, encouraging conversation and introducing a museum-like atmosphere that’s welcoming and conducive to creating memorable gatherings.

Abstract art has origins in 19th-century Europe, but it came into its own as a significant movement during the 20th century. Early practitioners of abstraction included Wassily Kandinsky, although painters were exploring nonfigurative art prior to the influential Russian artist’s efforts, which were inspired by music and religion. Abstract painters endeavored to create works that didn’t focus on the outside world’s conventional subjects, and even when artists depicted realistic subjects, they worked in an abstract mode to do so.

In 1940s-era New York City, a group of painters working in the abstract mode created radical work that looked to European avant-garde artists as well as to the art of ancient cultures, prioritizing improvisation, immediacy and direct personal expression. While they were never formally affiliated with one another, we know them today as Abstract Expressionists.

The male contingent of the Abstract Expressionists, which includes Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning and Robert Motherwell, is frequently cited in discussing leading figures of this internationally influential postwar art movement. However, the women of Abstract Expressionism, such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, Joan Mitchell and others, were equally involved in the art world of the time. Sexism, family obligations and societal pressures contributed to a long history of their being overlooked, but the female Abstract Expressionists experimented vigorously, developed their own style and produced significant bodies of work.

Draw your guests into abstract oil paintings across different eras and countries of origin. On 1stDibs, you’ll find an expansive range of abstract paintings along with a guide on how to arrange your wonderful new wall art.

If you’re working with a small living space, a colorful, oversize work can create depth in a given room, but there isn’t any need to overwhelm your interior with a sprawling pièce de résistance. Colorful abstractions of any size can pop against a white wall in your living room, but if you’re working with a colored backdrop, you may wish to stick to colors that complement the decor that is already in the space. Alternatively, let your painting make a statement on its own, regardless of its surroundings, or group it, gallery-style, with other works.