The symbolist art of Jacek Malczewski had a decisive influence on the formation of Hofman’s creative stance. The artist is considered to be a continuator of Malczewski’s line of symbolic and allegorical painting both in terms of the iconographic motifs he employed and the stylistic and compositional solutions he applied. His thematic repertoire included religious scenes (Hope, 1907; Skarga, c. 1907), lyrical fairy-tale and fantasy compositions (Rest, 1914; Lost Happiness, 1919; The Burial of a Bird) and ancient themes (Spring, 1918; Faun with an Old Man, 1920).
'Confession' by Vlastimil Hofman, 1906, photo: National Museum in Warsaw The main principle of Hofman’s painting was narrative, focusing on anecdote and a certain theatricality of representations. The motif of the Madonna and Child – dressed in a folk costume, joyful or melancholic, shown against the background of an idyllic landscape – became a distinctive feature of the artist’s early works (Madonna with a Starling, 1909; Concerto, 1910; Adoration of Baby Jesus, ca. 1918). Hofman gave the figure of Christ the shape of an animated roadside saint, expressing his interest in primitive art and Gothic sculpture (Confession, 1906). He developed the motif of Eros and Psyche in many variants, creating a witty parody of Cupid’s mischiefs; Hofman’s mythological paraphrases evoked a cheerful mood characteristic of idyll poetry.
The scenes were saturated with coarse humour, referring to folk beliefs, superstitions and rituals, whose protagonists, taking a more predatory character, were scarecrows and nativity scene actors (Devils, 1908; Scarecrow, 1906). A recurring theme in Hofman’s art was genre scenes drawn from the lives of highlanders and images of peasants, which provided an opportunity to emphasise the decorativeness of costumes and the artist’s folk fascinations (Two Highland Girls, c. 1918).
'St Joseph of Nazareth' by Wlastimil Hofman, part of the altar in the church of St Andrew Bobola in Szubin, photo: Krzysztof Mizera / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY SA 4.0 The figures of paupers and cripples appearing in his paintings were part of the miserabilist current of his painting focused on existential suffering (With a Coffin, 1907; Garbage Collectors, 1928; The Lord Hath Given, and the Lord Hath Taken Away, 1934) and the tragedy of war. Borrowed from the repertoire of European symbolism, the motif of old age contrasted with youth carried a vanitas message (Old Age and Youth, 1922; Angel and Old Man, 1923). The synthetically treated landscape added a symbolic dimension to the representations in his paintings of historical and patriotic themes (Weeping Ellenai, 1918; A Legionary from Lviv, ca. 1916; Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori, 1930). Linearity played a key role in Hofman’s paintings, which referred to Gothic, early Renaissance and folk art. The artist defined shapes with a clear contour, highlighted cubes with valorous modelling, used local colours sometimes strengthened with violet, pink and green reflections. His ability to veristically recreate facial features was evident in a series of self-portraits painted in various periods of his life, often – like Malczewski’s works – depicting him in refined poses and accompanied by allegorical staffage (Self-Portrait with Palette, 1908; Self-Portrait in a Hat, 1918; The Artist and His Muse, 1920; Self-portrait. In the Studio, 1926).
Originally written in Polish by Irena Kossowska, Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, March 2003, translated to English by PG, March 2022.
