Jože Tisnikar (26 February 1928 - 30 October 1998) was a Slovenian painter who was known for his egg tempera-style paintings of crows, dead bodies, funerals, landscapes and self-portraits.[1][2]

Jože Tisnikar
Jože Tisnikar in 1961 (painting unknown).
Born(1928-02-26)February 26, 1928
DiedOctober 30, 1998(1998-10-30) (aged 70)
NationalitySlovenian
Known forTempera-style paintings of crows, dead bodies, funerals, landscapes and self-portraits.
Notable workLjubezen
StyleEgg tempera
AwardsPrešeren Fund Award
1970

Biography edit

Tisnikar was born in Mislinja, a village at the foot of the Pohorje mountain range.[3] He had a difficult childhood and left elementary school after four years.[4] When his father died, he had to take his place at a cardboard factory, where he worked until he was drafted into the army. He spent two years in the army in Pirot, Serbia, where he worked at a hospital ward and had his first contact with dead bodies.[5] After his military service, he returned to his home village and soon moved to Slovenj Gradec, where he got a job at the local hospital.[6] He performed mostly physical tasks with patients until the hospital opened a morgue, where he was employed as an autopsy assistant.[7] He worked there until his retirement in 1983. He died in 1998 as a pedestrian in a traffic accident, shortly after a retrospective exhibition of his works at the gallery in Slovenj Gradec.[8][9]

Artistic career edit

 
Ljubezen (1977); oil on canvas, tempera, 89,5 cm x 115,5 cm, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Koroška, Slovenj Gradec[10][11]

Tisnikar started to paint in 1955, when he made his first oil painting (Autopsy) with the motif of a morgue atmosphere.[12][8] He developed his artistic skills under the mentorship of academic painter Karel Pečko in Slovenj Gradec between 1954 and 1964.[13] He received the Prešeren Fund Award in 1970 for his paintings exhibited in 1969.[14][15]

Tisnikar's paintings were described as "uncomfortable" and depicted the transience of human life.[16][17] Most of Tisnikar's paintings were done in egg tempera style. He is famous for his representations of crows and dark images of dead people, funerals, landscapes and self-portraits.[1][4]

Selected works edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Artists : Tisnikar Jože". Galerija Hest. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  2. ^ "The retrospective exhibition of drawings and paintings by Jože Tisnikar". Muzej in galerije mesta Ljubljane. 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  3. ^ "Jože Tisnikar, Death is not the end". KGLU. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  4. ^ a b Tisnikar, Jože; Tomašević, Nebojša. (1978). Tisnikar : painter of death. United States. ISBN 0-8467-0522-2. OCLC 4716277.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Kožar, Jernej (2009-12-07). "tisnikarscollection". www2.arnes.si. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  6. ^ "Jože Tisnikar: Birth and Death". Muzej in galerije mesta Ljubljane. 2018-03-02. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  7. ^ Tisnikar, Jože (1978). "Tisnikar : svet obujenih mrtvecev" (in Slovenian). Beograd : "Jugoslovenska revija" ; Ljubljana : Državna založba Slovenije. Retrieved 2023-04-27 – via COBISS+.
  8. ^ a b "Tisnikar Jože". Artes. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  9. ^ Herat, Gwen (2006-06-21). "Tisnikar: The painter of death | Artscope". DailyNews Archives. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  10. ^ "The Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Koroška". Museu.MS. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  11. ^ a b "Ljubezen". Museums.EU. 2023-04-27. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  12. ^ Tisnikar, Jože (2023-04-27). "11 Artworks at Auction". MutualArt. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  13. ^ "Jože Tisnikar, After the Cataclysm III, 1975". MG+MSUM. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  14. ^ "Prešeren F. Award Winners". GPN (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  15. ^ Kožar, Jernej. "bibliografija". www2.arnes.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  16. ^ "STA: Major Tisnikar retrospective goes on display in Slovenj Gradec". STA. 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  17. ^ "Tisnikar Jože - Carnival mask". PortaAlpina. 2021-06-25. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.

External links edit