Girl Resting

Following in the footsteps of nineteenth-century German artists working in Italy (he lived in Rome between 1903 and 1908), Hofer embraced the classical tradition and devoted himself primarily to figure painting. An atmosphere of detachment and melancholy prevails in his work. In this undated pencil drawing, a young woman rests on a blanket at the foot of a tree. Her body language suggests a mood of introspection. The figure is monumental in relation to the tree, which is barely described. A few horizontal strokes denote the landscape, from which Hofer erased the indication of a village in the background, reinforcing the feeling of isolation and communion with nature. Rather than a finished drawing, this is a rapid sketch. It probably dates from the 1920s, Hofer's finest period.