The Clash 1964

Hans Hofmann made this painting, called 'The Clash', probably with oil paint, and judging from the title, with some enthusiasm! Look at those reds: juicy, thick, colliding with the blues and yellows. It feels like a struggle on the canvas, a real push and pull. I love how Hofmann lets us see the process. You can almost feel the energy of his brushstrokes, the way he's layering the paint, like he's building something up and then tearing it down. There’s a spot on the lower right, where the yellows and reds meet a white square. It’s like a little dance, a playful conversation between colors. And it kind of reminds me of what Guston was doing at the time, that same sense of freedom and not being afraid to get messy. It's not about perfection, but about embracing the messiness of life and art. It’s like he's saying, "Hey, let's just throw some paint around and see what happens."