Vlastimil (Wlastimil) Hofman (Hofmann, Hoffman)
1881 - 1970

The son of a Czech father and a Polish mother, Vlastimil Hofman arrived in Kraków with his family in 1889. He studied at the Academy of Fine Arts under the supervision of Florian Cynk, Jacek Malczewski, Józef Unierzyski and Jan Stanisławski (1895-1899). From 1899 to 1901, he lived in Paris studied under Jean-Leon Gérôme at the École des Beaux-Arts, and afterwards resumed his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków with Leon Wyczółkowski (1901-1902). For the years 1919-1920, he lived in Paris, finally returning to Kraków. From there he left only for short trips to Vienna, Paris, Italy and Prague. He spent World War II in Palestine, where he connected with the Czech Legion. In 1946, he returned to Poland and beginning in 1947 lived in Szklarska Poręba. Hofman belonged to the Czech Association of Artists, "Manes" (beginning in 1904) and the Society of Polish Artists "Sztuka", while he was also a member of the "Group of Five" from 1905 to 1908 and the group "Zero" in 1909-1910.

His painting was shaped by the Symbolist art of Jacek Malczewski and he was considered by critics to be his sole disciple and successor. He created compositions that united real and fantastic motifs, themes from antiquity, the Bible and romantic literature. He portrayed idyllic, fabulous, as well as genre scenes along with patriotic historical paintings, portraits and numerous self-portraits. Hofman’s main subjects, however, were religious themes. He strove for the renewal of religious art because he maintained that: "all the artistic activity was performed as the service of the Lord." He produced a series of paintings with the images of Madonna, the Pieta, St. John the Baptist and prayer scenes. He remained faithful to a formula developed at the turn-of-the-century and maintained until the end of his life.

He exhibited regularly with the Society of Friends of the Fine Arts in Kraków and the Society for Encouragement of the Fine Arts in Warsaw.

-- Anna Król

Works in the collection: