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(6.3.1879, Ljubljana – 29.12.1945, Trogir)

Jožef Franc Farčnik or Blaž Farčnik was a Slovenian artist who mainly dealt with sacred painting. After completing his primary education, he continued his education at the gymnasium in Gorizia, and then enrolled in Kamnik at the Faculty of Theology. He later joined the Franciscan Order, where he took the name Blaž.

Blaž Farčnik - Mariya from Brezje
In 1902, he was ordained a priest. At this time, Blaž had already become interested in art. He upgraded his skills at the Instituto di Belle Arti in Florence, where he attended lectures in the painting department. During the First World War, he moved to Sardinia for a short time, then returned to Florence and successfully completed his studies. Blaž used his skills to undertake numerous commissions for the church. Among them are the most common church paintings, altarpieces, frescoes and canvases with religious motifs.
He painted, for example, the basilica in Fonni and the pilgrimage church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Nova Štifta near Ribnici. This contains a rich iconographic program that opens up a view of Mary's life and role in the work of the Savior. He also created several oil paintings on canvas, for example, the painting of St. Clare in the Franciscan church in Zagreb or St. Paschal in the Franciscan private chapel in Ljubljana.
Between 1930 and 1935, he painted wall frescoes in the church of St. Francis in Šiška. A special place in his oeuvre is occupied by the Lemont image of Mary Help of Christians after the original from Brescia, which in Farčnik's work is somewhat more maternal and gracious than the original. His legacy represents an important part of Slovenian sacred art of the first half of the 20th century, as he combined classical academic education, Franciscan piety and the ability for monumental and intimate depiction. Even today, he is considered a skilled and highly respected sacred painter.
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Jožef Franc Farčnik oziroma Blaž Farčnik je bil slovenski likovni ustvarjalec, ki se je večinoma ukvarjal s sakralnim slikarstvom. Po končanem osnovnem izobraževanju je s šolanjem nadaljeval na gimnaziji v Gorici, nato pa se je vpisal v Kamnik na teološko fakulteto. Kasneje se je pridružil frančiškanskemu redu, kjer se ga je oprijelo ime Blaž.

Leta 1902 so ga posvetili v duhovnika. V tem času se je Blaž že začel zanimati za umetnost. Svoje spretnosti je nadgradil na Institutu di Belle Arti v Firencah, kjer je obiskoval predavanja na slikarskem oddelku. Med prvo svetovno vojno se je za kratek čas preselil na Sardinijo nato pa se je vrnil nazaj v Firence in študij tudi uspešno opravil. Blaž se je s svojimi veščinami lotil številnih naročil za cerkev. 

Med njimi je največ poslikav cerkva, oltarnih slik, fresk in platen z religioznimi motivi. Poslikal je npr. baziliko v Fonniju in romarsko cerkev Marijinega Vnebovzetja v Novi Štifti pri Ribnici. Ta vsebuje bogat ikonografski program, ki odstira pogled v Marijino življenje in vlogo v Odrešenikovem delovanju. Utvaril je tudi več olj na platno npr. slika Sv. Klae v frančiškanski cerkvi v Zagrebu ali pa Sv. Paškal v frančiškanski zasebni kapeli v Ljubljani. 

Med letoma 1930 in 1935 se je ukvarjal s poslikavo stenskih fresk v cerkvi sv. Frančiška v Šiški. Posebno mesto v njegovem opusu pa nosi Lemontska podoba Marije Pomagaj po izvirniku z Brezij, ki je pri Farčniku nekoliko bolj materinska in milostna kot original. Njegova zapuščina predstavlja pomemben del slovenske sakralne umetnosti prve polovice 20. stoletja, saj je v njej združil klasično akademsko izobrazbo, frančiškansko pobožnost in sposobnost monumentalnega ter intimnega upodabljanja. Še danes velja za spretnega in zelo cenjenega sakralnega slikarja.

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

SOURCES/VIRI: 
M.M.Š., 100 let Ameriških Brezij, posebna vez z domovino, Družina, 2.6.2025, https://www.druzina.si/clanek/100-let-ameriskih-brezij-posebna-vez-z-domovino (12.1.2026).
Uredništvo: Farčnik, Blaž (1879–1945). Slovenska biografija. Slovenska akademija znanosti in umetnosti, Znanstvenoraziskovalni center SAZU, 2013. http://www.slovenska-biografija.si/oseba/sbi185396/#slovenski-biografski-leksikon (12.2.2026). 

  • Blaž Farčnik - Mariya from Brezje
    Blaž Farčnik - Mariya from Brezje

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