Wlastimil HOFMAN (1881 - 1970), Triptych - Children's Works, 1926

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oil, cardboard; 24.5 x 17.5 cm (each part);
signed and dated. at bottom: Wlastimil Hofman / 1926 (each part)
On the reverse:
1) - author-described: "Children's work / Left side from the viewer of the triptych / Janka Wawrościanka from Zwierzyniec / from Królowa Jadwiga
- illegible inscription
- circular stamp (illegible)
2) - inscribed to the author: Mojej najdroższej Adzi / Wlast / "Dziecięce prace" / "Children's works" / middle of the triptych / Zosia Rysówna of Zwierzyniec / of Królowa Jadwiga
- paper sticker with handwritten description: WLASTIMIL HOFMAN / 49) CHILDREN'S WORKS / 24 x 54 / TRYPT OWN. PRYW
- illegible inscription
- circular stamp (illegible)
3) - author-described: "Children's works / Right side from the viewer of the triptych / Bronka Konopkówna from Zwierzyniec / from Królowa Jadwiga
- residually preserved paper exhibition sticker
- illegible inscriptions in crayon

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

Reproduced image:
In Szklarska Poreba all roads lead to Wlastimilowka. The Year of Wlastimil Hofman, edited by B. Danielska, Ad REM Regina Chrześcijańska Publishing House, Szklarska Poreba 2017, p. 127 (photo. fb.).

Here are the children of Hofman's immediate neighborhood, the children of the so-called suburban "elements." [...] Whole hordes of kids sit in the sand, play croquet [...] help chaff and carelessly chase each other along the paths and steps of his kingdom. Mr. Wlastimil paints, his wife tans the flowers. One kid poses, the rest play. [The model and the painting seem to be impatient [...].
Jan Sztaudynger

After returning to Krakow in 1920, Wlastimil and Ada built a house on Spadzista Street in Zwierzyniec. It became a place beloved by the children of the neighborhood, often neglected, orphans, working hard in Krakow's factories. At the Hofmans' they not only received care, they used their garden and home, and took part in excursions organized by them. They became models posing for paintings, and the motif of the children's portrait - turned out to be a key one in the artist's paintings.

This is a unique set of three children's portraits from the interwar period. Each piece has been authoritatively described by the painter, including the names of the girls depicted. The triptych was highly regarded by Wlastimil Hofman. Thanks to a surviving photograph, we know that it was in the artist's home and displayed on one of the walls. The portrayed children were captured during various activities. They are focused on their work, not looking towards the viewer. The models are captured indoors, although in the artist's paintings, the background is often landscape motifs. The figures are not accompanied by fairy-tale or mythological phantoms. It seems as if Hofman has captured the figures in real time. This does not deprive the composition of a mood of melancholy and lyricism, recognizable for almost all his works.

Multi-element compositions are well-known in Hofman's oeuvre, especially as fragments of larger religious cycles (for example, illustrations of the "Our Father" prayer). The appearance of the triptych in the auction offer is a treat for collectors. All the more so because the offered composition was located in the private, intimate space of the artist's home.

Bibliography:
Sztaudynger J., A visit to the clouds, "Tęcza" 1935., R.9, Z.4 [in: In Szklarska Poreba all roads lead to Wlastimilowka. The Year of Wlastimil Hofman, edited by B. Danielska, Ad REM Regina Christian Publishing House, Szklarska Poreba 2017].