(Slaptinci, 17. 7. 1884 - Stara Gora, 6.4. 1952)
Franc Košar was a versatile artist from Prlek, who, despite his exceptional talent and extensive oeuvre, remained in the shadow of his contemporaries for a long time. He was initially educated at his home school in Udine ob Ščavnici, where he showed his gift for drawing at an early age.
With his father's support, in 1903 he went to the Provincial Art School in Graz, where he remained until 1907. There, the young artist was able to devote himself to drawing. In 1910, he continued his studies at the Academy in Munich, where he remained until the outbreak of the First World War. After being drafted into the army, he suffered an injury at the front, so he returned home soon after. Most of his best works, which he painted in Munich, are now lost. Namely, a ship with fifty of his works of art, which he wanted to sell to England, sank at sea. After liberation, he received an artist's pension, which allowed him to live a modest but decent life.
After the end of the First World War, he went to the Academy in Prague, where he became acquainted with Božidar Jakac, Ivan Kos, Ante Trstenjak and other Slovenian artists. The artists together sought new ways of expression, which is confirmed by his study drawings, especially nudes. During his stay in Prague, Košar's health deteriorated significantly. He had to return to Prlekija, where he set up a studio in an abandoned school in Stara Gora. There, he spent most of his time portraying people from the surrounding area. He was characterized by a realistic approach to the subject under consideration, in which he also managed to capture the character of the person portrayed. His strokes were broad. We classify him as a realist painter with a slight Art Nouveau touch. Franc Košar remains a symbol of an artist who suffered severe consequences, but this did not rob him of his creative sincerity. Warmth, humanity and a sensitive observation of the world came to the fore in his works. The artist often drew with charcoal or chalk. His sketches are quite lively and energetic. In a later phase, he made his living mainly from photography.
In 1926, he also made a portrait in bronze at the request of the locals of Mala Nedelja. He depicted Jakob Radoslav Razlag, a national hero who still adorns the paths to the church today. Due to illness and the consequences of the war, Franc Košar created less and less, and eventually stopped creating altogether. In recent years, interest in his work has been reawakening among the art history profession. The Pomurje Museum in Murska Sobota prepared an extensive exhibition of his works in 2023, with the aim of reviving his memory and placing him among the recognizable Slovenian artists.
Franc Košar je bil vsestransko nadarjen prleški umetnik, ki je kljub izjemnemu talentu in obsežnemu opusu dolgo časa ostal v senci sodobnikov. Sprva se je izobraževal na domači šoli v Vidmu ob Ščavnici, kjer je že zgodaj pokazal njegov dar za risanje.
Z očetovo podporo se je leta 1903 odpravil na Deželno umetniško šolo v Gradec, kjer je ostal do leta 1907. Tam se je mladi umetnik lahko posvetil risanju. Leta 1910 je s študijem nadaljeval na Akademijo v Münchnu, kjer je ostal do izbruha prve svetovne vojne. Po vpoklicu v vojsko je utrpel poškodbo na fronti, zato se je kmalu za tem vrnil domov. Večina njegovih najboljših del, ki jih je naslikal v Münchnu, je danes izgubljenih. V morju je namreč potonila ladja z njegovimi petdesetimi umetninami, ki jih je želel prodati v Anglijo. Po osvoboditvi je prejel umetniško rento, ki mu je omogočala skromno, a dostojno življenje.
Po koncu prve velike vojne se je odpravil še na Akademijo v Prago, kjer se je seznanil z Božidarjem Jakcem, Ivanom Kosom, Antejem Trstenjakom in drugimi slovenskimi umetniki. Umetniki so skupaj iskali nove izrazne poti, kar potrjujejo njegove študijske risbe, predvsem akti. Med bivanjem v Pragi se je Košarjevo zdravstveno stanje močno poslabšalo. Vrniti se je moral nazaj v Prlekijo, kjer si je v zapuščeni šoli na Stari Gori uredil atelje. Tam je večino časa portretiral ljudi iz okolice. Zanj je bil značilen realističen pristop k obravnavanem motivu, v katerega je uspel ujeti tudi karakter portretiranca. Njegove poteze so bile široke. Uvrščamo ga med slikarje realiste z rahlo secesijskim pridihom. Franc Košar ostaja simbol umetnika, ki je utrpel hude posledice, pa vendar ga to ni oropalo ustvarjalne iskrenosti. V njegovih delih je v ospredje stopila toplina, človečnost in tenkočutno opazovanje sveta. Umetnik je pogosto tudi risal z ogljem ali kredo. Njegove skice so dokaj živahne in energične. V poznejši fazi se je preživljal predvsem s fotografijo.
Leta 1926 je po naročilu krajanov Male Nedelje izdelal tudi portret v bronu. Upodobil je Jakoba Radoslava Razlaga, narodnega heroja, ki še danes krasi poti k cerkvi. Franc Košar je zaradi bolezni in posledic vojne vedno manj ustvarjal, sčasoma pa je popolnoma prenehal. V zadnjih letih se med umetnostnozgodovinsko stroko zanimanje za njegovo delo ponovno prebuja. Pomurski muzej Murska Sobota je leta 2023 pripravil obsežno razstavo njegovih del, s katero so želeli obuditi spomin nanj in ga uvrstiti med prepoznavne slovenske umetnike.
All the artists on the Porta Alpina website can be found at this link.
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:
Luc MENAŠE, s. v. Košar, Franc, Evropski umetnostno zgodovinski leksikon, Ljubljana 1971,col. 1050.
Franc KOŠAR, Risbe in skice, Umetnostna galerija Maribor, 12.4.2012, https://www.ugm.si/razstave/franc-kosar-risbe-in-skice-1563/, (12.10.2025).
Juliana VӦRӦŠ, s. v. Košar, Franc (1884-1952), Slovenska biografija, 2020, https://www.obrazislovenskihpokrajin.si/it/oseba/kosar-franc/ (19.10.2025).
Marijan ZADNIKAR, s. v. Košar Franc, Enciklopedija likovnih umjetnosti, III, Zagreb 1964, p. 229.
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