Ludwig von Hofmann is categorized under Neo-Idealism. By interpreting his colors as inventions and his motifs and forms as new, one hits the target with the certainty that only the use of buzzwords can provide. In doing so, one deprives oneself of the enjoyment of pursuing an artistic conception of life and the world that, regardless of how one may value its strength and duration, is as vivid and multifaceted as has become rare today; to live an artistic life that richly rewards anyone who lovingly follows its expressions with endless inspiration.

Thus, a small treatise on an artist who chooses to speak to us only through his works may still seem justified, a language that, like all good art, actually needs no commentary and cannot tolerate one. One must only recognize that he says neither anything new nor foreign, that everything, however surprising and captivating it may appear, has its model in nature, and that it is only a matter of discovering it in nature. Then his paintings will continue to inspire and delight beyond temporary enjoyment: one leaves them with more open eyes and more receptive senses for all the colorful and enchanting images of the world.

The present work is a wonderful monograph on the German painter and designer Ludwig von Hofmann, featuring over 100 illustrations. This book is a careful reprint of the long out-of-print original edition from 1903.