Gerhard Hofmann

The artist Gerhard Hofmann was born in Worms in 1960 and showed exceptional artistic talent from an early age. In 1980 he began studying art education at the University of Mainz, which he successfully completed in 1985. Between 1982 and 1984 he was an assistant in the etching class at the International Summer Academy in Salzburg. After his traineeship in Speyer, he passed the second state examination for teaching at secondary schools in 1987.

Hofmann's preferred medium is printmaking, in which he presents various motifs in a cheerful manner. His works are characterized by a playful circumvention of the laws of statics by depicting flying and rotating objects.

An example of his color etchings shows the Heidelberg city panorama with the Old Bridge, the Church of the Holy Spirit and the castle. The composition is captivating with its finely nuanced red and blue tones and the broken-down color surfaces of the city's architecture. Windows and doors seem to dance on the smooth walls of the houses, which reinforces the playful impression. Two moons and a sun appear in the sky, creating a confusing but fascinating effect.

In another color etching, Hofmann depicts Mannheim. Here he combines the city's water tower, a church tower and the television tower, regardless of the actual topography. Townhouses seem to dance around the towers, and brightly colored areas and spontaneous lines create a lively city panorama.

Hofmann's works also include humanized cat figures that appear cheerful and bizarre. One cat appears as a fine dandy in a suit and bowler hat, another as a juggler who juggles virtuosically. In all of his works, Hofmann combines graphic drawings with painterly accents and creates cheerful interpretations of the cities and figures in his compositions. Gerhard Hofmann has received several awards for his original works, which show his talent for drawing and his feeling for the effects of color.