German, 1880-1966. German-American Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann was one of the greatest teachers of the 20th-century. Hoffman believed that a painter must speak through paint, not words. Coming from Paris, he had a deep knowledge of French art. During his time in Paris, he had been in touch with artists including Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, and Fernand Leger. Although he was an advocate of Abstract Expressionism, his works show the fusion of various modes including Cubism, Fauvism, Expressionism, and Abstraction. But his later works show a very strong influence of Abstract Expressionism on the painter. He had been a teacher to artists such as Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Krasner, and Larry Rivers.