Essays on the Art of Thomas Hoppe

Susan's left arm is formed into an acute hexagonal angle, while her right arm forms a more relaxed, pentagonal obtuse angle. The acute angle represents the Manor's influence, while the obtuse symbolizes a deviation from its structure—a symbol of rebellion and divergence. Yet, the acute overlaps the obtuse, implying that the Manor's rigid control stifles her movement, and therefore her expression. Her left arm, hooked across her opposite shoulder, forms a stable triangular structure—one that both supports and restricts her, like a brace or anchor, reinforcing this tension.

The blanket Susan holds with her obtusely angled arm is also symbolic. It represents a comfort or complacency she must overcome. For Susan, for the pentagonal angle to prevail is to symbolically slay the dragon, to free herself from the blanket, and to follow the light she turns towards.

This show brings together work in a variety of styles, but to me, style doesn’t really matter. What does matter is color. Everything I do revolves around it. Over the years, I’ve developed a color theory that uses music as a tool to test and guide color experimentation. I first developed the theory in 1998, and since then, I’ve been refining and hammering out any issues.

This discovery paralleled Marcel Duchamp's work, whose "ready-made" concept elevated ordinary objects to the level of Art. Like Duchamp, Hoppe infused his subject matter with mystery, recognizing objects' power to transcend their physicality when subjected to deeper analysis. The dolls, while absurd and almost surreal, also bore a Pop Art-like quality, linking Hoppe's work to modern and post-modern art movements.

Learning to draw like everyone else is not a very complex matter. You can use any pencil you want. If you want to learn my technique, you need to use Blackwing pencils. They are higher quality than other brands and they have properties which make them more suitable for shading with a sharp point.