Wlastimil HOFMAN (1881 - 1970), Before Departure

oil, cardboard; 35 x 50 cm;
Signed l. d.: Wlastimil Hofman
On the reverse, author's description: Before Departure

Provenance:
private collection, Poland

The painting "Before Departure" is a collector's item of interest, combining the artist's characteristic painterly language and one of the most important motifs in his ouvré: the portrait in symbolic terms. The figure of an old man with intriguing, expressively rendered facial features suggests deep inner reverie. Positioned in the background - storks - symbolize transience, the cyclical nature, but also longing. The depicted moment before departure, together with a premonition of the coming end of life, carries a strong emotional charge. Hofman brilliantly combined realistic technique with metaphorical message. It is noteworthy that folk types often featured on the painter's canvases. The straightforwardness and childlike trust attributed to them by Hofman, made them characters closer to the spiritual world.