Wlastimil HOFMAN (1881-1970), Motherhood I [Nursing mother, Janina (née Vishnevska) with Elisabeth], 1949

In 1947, Wlastimil Hofman settled with his wife Ada in Szklarska Poreba, in a small house on Matejki Street, which soon became known as Wlastimilowka. The family found their "safe haven" there and soon the place became a center for social and intellectual gatherings. The Hofmans moved to the small villa from Krakow at the urging of Jan Sztaudynger. At the time, the painter often created portraits of neighbors, children and guests of Wlastimilowka. One such memento from Szklarska Poreba is the painting "Motherhood I," in which the painter portrayed Janina with baby Elisabeth with extraordinary tenderness. The intimate image of a nursing woman shows maternal tenderness with a certain amount of devotion. Wlastimil Hofman was a deep believer, who touched on religious themes in his work - he painted Madonnas, gatherings at shrines or caring angels. The painter's Madonnas took on the faces of ordinary people, and were often dressed in folk costumes, which left them devoid of pathos and glories, as if they were brought to the earthly world, thus bringing ordinary people closer to God. This way of depicting spirituality by Wlastimil Hofman at the same time makes the painter's seemingly secular works, such as the presented "Motherhood I", become exceptionally spiritual compositions.