Lot 683 Dα

Hofer repeatedly took up and varied his favourite themes. A decidedly rigorous tectonic structure is common to all of his works. It was only after 1930 that the genre of the still life with flowers began to appear more frequently in his oeuvre. In these works, he particularly liked to depict composite flowers, such as zinnias and dahlias.
Hofer was a professor at Berlin's College of Art; in 1933 he became one of the first German artists to be stripped of their teaching positions. He was also banned from exhibiting and painting, whereby - like many other artists - he ignored the latter. Nonetheless, the new, threatening situation forced him to change motifs.
Under these circumstances and in the context of Hofer's often almost mono-tonal palette, the colours of this abundant still life with flowers seem intense and luminous. The motif has also been captured on canvas in an almost impressionist manner, despite the brownish-violet background. Here Hofer has deliberately avoided the harshness and dryness typical of his work and instead emphasised harmonious red and violet tones and also bright colours, which have not been obscured through the addition of any white. In this painting, we find the frugality and rigidity that are so characteristic of Hofer's work only in the expertly painted but, to a certain extent, angular drapery of the tablecloth. With this cloth, he has established a luminous counterpoint to the dark background. The still life seems to reflect Hofer's yearning for an intact and peaceful world.