Wlastimil HOFMAN (1881-1970), "Wygnanka - on a long journey" (1939)

Author: Wlastimil Hofman
Title: Wygnanka - on a long journey (1939)
Technique: oil, plywood
Dimensions: 58.2 x 88.5 cm
Dimensions with frame: 77 x 108 cm
Signed and dated p.m. (on the swirl): "R.P. 1939 | Wlastimil Hofman" Inscribed on the back: "Exile | "On the Long Road" ".

DESCRIPTION OF WORK:
It is not without reason that Wlastimil Hofman is considered one of the most faithful continuators of the symbolist art of Jacek Malczewski. The artist captured faith, thoughts, experiences and feelings in his paintings, so the analysis of his works is often an indispensable complement to the knowledge of the painter's silhouette. The presented painting refers to specific events in the history of Wlastimil and Ada Hofman. In 1939, when the Nazis attacked Czechoslovakia, the artist took part in helping Czech refugees. Consequently, after the German invasion of Poland, the exposed Hofmans set out on September 3 on a journey that, as it later turned out, was to last almost continuously until 1946.
The title "Wygnanka - on a long journey" was given to the work by the author himself. The painting is an allegory of the journey awaiting the Hofmans, who were aware of the need to flee. At the same time, it can be interpreted as an expression of fear and mourning. On the left side of the composition is shown the title exile - a Czech woman and wife of the painter - Ada Hofman. Next to the woman is a personification of the journey resting her hands on a paddle. The silhouettes of the characters are painted against the background of the beach and the sea, on which the ship is sailing. When Wlastimil Hofman painted the picture in 1939, he did not yet know what wandering awaited him in the coming years, and this uncertainty and anxiety have just been captured in the painting. In addition, the mournful outfit of the "exile" forced to flee is a symbol of suffering after the death of the Czechs who died as a result of the German attack.

Wlastimil Hofman's biography is available on the Krakow Auction House website [SEE].