Karl Hofer

Karl Hofer Girl at the window 1942 Oil on canvas. 93.5 x 75.5 cm. Framed. Lower right monogrammed in dark brown and dated 'CH 42' (ligatured). - In beautiful condition. Wohlert 1584 Provenance Galerie Wilhelm Grosshennig, Düsseldorf (1975); collection of Dr. and Mrs. Jansen, North Rhine-Westphalia; since then in family possession Exhibitions Düsseldorf Nov. 1974 - Feb. 1975 (Galerie Wilhelm Grosshennig), exhibition and offer catalog of German and French artworks of the 20th century, cat. p. 52 with color illustrations ("The Yellow Curtain") Female figures or groups at the window are a recurring motif within Karl Hofer's work. In the present case, the artist elevates this classical theme, which makes it possible to convey a variety of pictorial statements, to a meditative, reduced, timeless content. The round arch shape of the window, which suggests a location in medieval architecture and which can already be found in the painting "Seven Girls at the Window" (Wohlert 1548) created a year earlier, effectively frames the semi-nude. The formal austerity of this composition is broken up by the drapery of the curtain and the cloth placed centrally on the window ledge. Although greatly simplified, the certain heaviness of the curtain fabric is palpable, resting on the back of the sitter's left hand, her right loosely grasping the cloth in front of her. Despite her unclothed upper body, with which the young woman presents herself unselfconsciously, there is nothing provocative about her appearance. Rather, she radiates a casual carefreeness; the lowered eyelids and the implied smile speak of an introspective self-assurance. The differentiated treatment of color within the composition is interesting - the black of the window opening, the curtain, and the base of the skirt are painted in a flat, opaque manner, while the incarnate parts and the wall surfaces are painted in a very loose, permeable ductus. The result is a slightly brittle character that grants the color an intrinsic value beyond its representational function.