Wlastimil Hofman (1881 - 1970), Nymph with owl chick, 1923

oil, cardboard; 68.5 x 97.5 cm. light frame;
Signed and dated p. d.: "Wlastimil Hofman / 1923"

Provenance:
private collection, Cracow

Excellent genre scene with a recognizable motif. The characters in the painting: a boy wearing a hat and a dark-haired nymph are shown against the background of an almost empty autumn landscape. This painterly procedure enhances the mood of melancholy, but also lyricism, so close to Hofman's sensibility and evident not only in the artist's paintings, but also in his poems. A beautiful nymph holds a chick, while anxiously looking at a curious boy. She appears as a guardian of nature, which fits perfectly with the mythological message about this figure. The painting's strengths are its decorativeness, its origins in the interwar period and the narrative theme so characteristic of the painter. Scenes with small birds or other animals, especially surrounded by fairytale characters or children, strongly define Hofman's work. The artist was able to paint on his canvases stories drawing from legends, literature, folklore, diversified with rich symbolism. In his oeuvre we can find both idyllic rural scenes, motifs of religious iconography, existential themes, patriotic or ancient themes.