Karl H(einrich) Hofmann

Adjunct Professor of Mathematics, Tulane University New Orleans; Em.Professor of Mathematics, Technical University of Darmstadt
Tulane University, New Orleans, and TU Darmstadt, Germany
Part time Darmstadt, Germany, and part time New Orleans

In my Colloquium Posters I try to inject into often very abstract titles and subjects an element of humor in order to attract an audience of students and colleagues to the weekly colloquia. Colloquia are often viewed as dry and remote to one’s own interests. The posters are designed to overcome this reluctance on the part of the potential audience by an occasional pun attached to the verbiage of the title of the lectures. The creation of these posters, in my view has much in common with the task of the political cartoonists: the subject matter is mercilessly prescribed every week and has to be translated into a pictorial story. This is still a challenge even after I have supplied my department with the posters for more that 25 years.

Proof Mining; The Gordian Geometric Knot
Proof Mining; The Gordian Geometric Knot
20" x 24"
Pencil, feltpen, tempera
2009

Two artworks from the Darmstadt Colloquium Poster Project, framed together.

The techniques used are pencil, feltpen, tempera. The calligraphy of the posters is obtained with a Copic felt pen in a typography specifically developed for this purpose. The texts are prescribed by the departmental colloqium program determined one semester in advance.

A complete collection of scans of the last 12 semesters can be inspected on my website.