Column of Life, 1917 Bronze, 26 1/4 In

Information on Malvina Hoffman American, 1885–1966 Column of Life, 1917 Bronze, 26 1/4 in. high Museum Purchase in memory of John Palmer Leeper with funds from Marion Harwell, by exchange, and the members of the McNay 1996.37 Subject Matter Malvina Hoffman’s Column of Life is a 26-inch vertical bronze sculpture, of warm copper colored patina. A depiction of lovers fused in an embrace, the sculpture shows a mixture of influences on the artist. The soft modeling reflects Hoffman’s study with Auguste Rodin and clearly recalls his famous sculpture The Kiss. An account of how Hoffman created this sculpture reveals his influence on her work. While waiting for Rodin in his studio, Hoffman manipulated a piece of clay into a vertical shape. When Rodin asked her about it, she replied that it was “an accident.” He commented, “There is more in this than you understand at present.” Later she transformed the accident into Column of Life, first carved in marble and then cast in bronze. In composition and compression of forms, however, Column of Life is closer to Constantin Brancusi’s Kiss of 1908. About the Artist Born in New York City, June 15, 1885, the daughter of a piano soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Malvina Hoffman grew up in a culturally prominent family, which nurtured her artistic ambitions. She attended the Women’s School of Applied Design and the Art Student’s League. Accompanied by her newly widowed mother, Malvina made her first trip to Paris in 1910. She became a favorite pupil of Rodin, and it was on his advice that she studied dissection and anatomy at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Rodin exerted the dominant influence on her work during her early years in Paris. The impact of Rodin’s evocative marble style and the poetic Symboliste generalization of his conceptions may be seen in Hoffman’s sculptural groups. The term symbolism refers to a sensibility that rejected the everyday, contemporary world explored by realism in favor of timeless reveries and myths. During these early years, Hoffman created Column of Life. As her career developed, her style became less indebted to Rodin and took on a simplified naturalism. From 1914 to 1916, Hoffman devoted herself to the study of dance and the production of dance-related sculpture, aided by her friendship with the great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. Hoffman first achieved recognition in France for her work on Bacchanale Russe (1917), a large frieze depicting the entire ballet of one of Pavlova’s signature pieces in 25 bas-relief scenes. Hoffman was the author of three books: Heads and Tales (1936), Sculpture Inside and Out (1939), and Yesterday is Tommorow (1965). She was the recipient of many awards, including the National Sculpture Society’s Gold Medal of Honor (1964), and five honorary degrees. In 1957, she was named “Woman of the Year” by the American Association of University Women. theMcNay Malvina Hoffman Column of Life, 1917 Quotes from the Artist I began to realize what a serious handicap it was for a woman to attempt competition with men in the field of sculpture. There was absolutely no traditional credit given to a woman in this field of activity, and I felt convinced of the necessity of learning my profession from the very beginning, so as to be able to control the workmanship for the great number of craftsmen with whom I was obliged to come in contact. I remember very well that Mestrovic, the Yugo-Slav sculptor, said to me that the first thing I must do as a woman was to learn the principles and technical side of my work better than most men, before I could start even, without the handicap of a preconceived idea that women were amateurs in art. I wonder if the women in other professions have ever realized what a serious obstacle this femininity becomes in the field of sculpture, and with good reason, for the work itself demands that we stand on our feet from morning until night, lifting heavy weights, bending iron, sawing wood, and building armatures. Strategies for Tours Primary Grades (ages 6–8): Is this a painting or a sculpture? What do you think this is made of? Can you think of other materials that you may use to create a sculpture? Upper Elementary (ages 9–11): What is the artist trying to show? [Explain what the artist had to do to make a bronze sculpture. Compare and contrast with Rodin’s Kiss.] Adolescents and Adults: [Explain Symbolism and how the sculpture contrasts with Realism. Discuss difficulties faced by women sculptors.] Sources Worth Consulting Conner, Janis C. A Dancer in Relief: Works by Malvina Hoffman. Syracuse: Salina Press, 1984. Hoffman, Malvina. Heads and Tales. New York: Scribner’s Sons, 1936. Nochlin, Linda. “Malvina Hoffman: A Life in Sculpture,” Illustrated Arts Magazine 59 (November 1984), 106–10. Prepared by Tracy Burke Date 12/13/98 theMcNay.

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