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1935 Golling/Lower Austria - 2022 Vienna
- Title
- „Crystalline Figure“
- Time
- design 1962
- signed
- and dated “O. Höfinger 62”
- Material
- bronze, artist's cast!
- Measurements
- 56¼ in
Oskar Höfinger is regarded as one of the most distinguished graduates of Fritz Wotruba’s master class and is a renowned representative of contemporary Austrian sculpture. Born in 1935, in Lower Austria, Höfinger attended the School of Applied Arts for Wood and Stone Carving in Hallein, Salzburg, and completed his extensive artistic training at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.
During his final years at the Academy, culminating in his graduation in 1961, Höfinger developed the “crystalline forms” – sculptures distinguished by their multifaceted, prismatically fragmented surfaces. The countless planes, each oriented in a different direction, create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that continuously transforms the appearance of the sculpture.
Designed in 1962, “Kristalline Figur” is among the principal works of this formative early period. The human body remained at the center of Höfinger’s artistic vision throughout his career. The creative process itself was profoundly physical too – a demanding engagement with wood, stone, and metal that challenged the sculptor in every respect. The vigorous modeling of the original wooden casting model by the artist’s powerful hand remains clearly visible in the present bronze cast. Although Höfinger deliberately avoided idealizing the female form, the figure nevertheless radiates a confident and compelling sensuality.