Modern painter and educator Hans Hofmann prescribed one book to his students on an introductory syllabus for his art school, the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The first line on the syllabus read: “It is recommended to students planning to join the Hans Hofmann School to read Sheldon Cheney’s (1934) book - Expressionism in Art.” Why was it the only book Hofmann listed, and what messages did it have for art students at the time?