Anton Gvajc

(Ljubljana, 21.8.1865-Brežice, 3.8.1935)

Anton Gvajc was a Slovenian painter and draftsman who created academic realism at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. At first he trained as an officer, but then, according to his father's wishes, he continued to study architecture in Vienna. Between 1887 and 1891, he enrolled in the painting academy, which even at that time dictated realism and encouraged artists to be inspired by nature as much as possible.

The skills that Gvajc received during his study years he cultivated throughout his artistic creation, even though more advanced artists had already painted in an impressionistic manner. After returning to his homeland, he worked as a private teacher for the wealthier citizens of Gorizia and Trieste. He was an excellent portraitist and illustrator. In his oeuvre, in addition to bourgeois figures, we also find still lifes, genre scenes, altarpieces and mountainous landscapes and marinas. He made most of his works in the oil on canvas technique, but there are also some pastels and watercolors. He was a most unusual man. He had over 200 birds at home. In his spare time, he went fishing and collected stamps and coins as an hobby. He had a fairly peaceful life without major upheavals, which can be seen from his artwork. He is characterized by harmonious compositions in a realistic manner, which contain a romantic touch. He also equipped them with well-thought-out light accents, which contribute to greater uniformity of the final image.

His landscapes are full of mists that shimmer in the morning rays. His landscapes are in complete contrast to the Impressionists. With these, he didn't focus on a fleeting impression, but more like they don't work frozen in time and space. When he also placed a figure in the landscape, it is immersed in its own contemplation. Although Gvajc is considered a realistic painter, his figures are somewhat embellished and are based on Viennese Art Nouveau. At the beginning of his career, his colour palette is strongly committed to the Viennese orientation. Later he painted in warmer colour tones. He was a passionate lover of nature, so it is not surprising that mountainous landscapes appear in his work. He painted them while visiting the Svinjske planin, Pliberk, Pohorje, Gorenjska, Logarska dolina and in the Solčava region. In 1920 he moved to Maribor. There he was the head of the Brazda club, and chaired the Ivan Grohar art society.

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Anton Gvajc je bil slovenski slikar in risar, ki je na prelomu iz 19. v 20. stoletje ustvarjal v akademskem realizmu. Sprva se je izučil za oficirja nato pa je po očetovi volji nadaljeval s študijem arhitekture na Dunaju. Med 1887 in 1891 se je vpisal na slikarsko akademijo, ki je še v tem času narekovala realizem in umetnike spodbujala, naj se čim bolj zgledujejo po naravi.

Veščine, ki jih je Gvajc prejel tekom študijskih let je gojil skozi celotno umetnostno ustvarjanje pa čeprav so naprednejši umetniki že slikali v impresionistični maniri. Po vrnitvi v domovino je deloval kot zasebni učitelj goriških in tržaških premožnejših meščanov. Bil je izvrsten portretist in ilustrator. V njegovem opusu poleg meščanske figuralike najdemo še tihožitja, žanrske prizore, oltarne podobe in gorate krajine ter marine. Največ umetnin je izdelal v tehniki olja na platno, nekaj pa je tudi pastelov in akvarelov. Bil je nadvse nenavaden človek. Doma je imel preko 200 ptic. V prostem času je odšel na ribolov in ljubiteljsko zbiral znamke in kovance. Imel je dokaj mirno življenje brez večjih pretresov, kar je mogoče razbrati iz njegovih umetnin. Zanj so značilne skladne kompozicije v realistični maniri, ki vsebujejo romantični pridih. Te je opremil še s premišljenimi svetlobnimi poudarki, ki pripomorejo k večji enotnosti končne podobe.

Njegove krajine so polne meglic, ki se lesketajo v jutranjih žarkih. Njegove krajine so v popolnem nasprotju z impresionisti. Pri teh se ni osredotočil na hipni vtis ampak bolj kot ne delujejo zamrznjeno v času in prostoru. Kadar je v krajino umestil tudi figuro je ta poglobljena v lastno kontemplacijo. Čeprav Gvajc velja za realističnega slikarja so njegove figure nekoliko olepšane in se opirajo na dunajsko secesijo. Na začetku kariere je njegova barvna skala močno zavezana dunajski usmeritvi. Kasneje je slikal v toplejših barvnih tonih. Bil je strasten ljubitelj narave, zato ni presenetljivo, da se v njegovem opusu pojavljajo gorate krajine. Slikal jih je med obiskom Svinjskih planin, Pliberka, Pohorja, Gorenjske, Logarske doline in v Solčavskem predelu. Leta 1920 se je preselil v Maribor. Tam je bil vodja kluba Brazda, in predsedoval umetnostnemu društvu Ivan Grohar.

The text was prepared for the Porta Alpina gallery by Pia Župevec, B.Sc. art history
Besedilo je za galerijo Porta Alpina pripravila Pia Župevec, dipl. um. zgod.

SOURCES/VIRI:
Marijan BRECELJ, s. v. Gvajc Anton (1865-1935), Slovenski biografski leksikon, 6 snop. Gracar – Hafner, Gorica 1979, https://www.slovenska-biografija.si/oseba/sbi221550/ (8.6.2024).
France MESESNEL, s. v. Gvajc Anton (1865-1935), Slovenski biografski leksikon, 2 zv. Erberg - Hinterlechner, Ljubljana 1926, https://www.slovenska-biografija.si/oseba/sbi221550/ (8.6.2024).
Marijan ZADNIKAR, s. v. Gvajc, Anton, Enciklopedija Likovnih Umjetnosti, 2, Zagreb 1962, p. 489.