(Kamnik, 4.2.1922 - Kirchheim, 17.8.1961)
Jakob Savinšek was one of the most prominent figures in Slovenian sculpture after World War II. He is best known as the initiator of the large Forma viva sculpture symposia, at which most of the then Slovenian sculptors presented their monumental sculptures. After the war, Savinšek enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. He graduated there in 1949. In the 1950s, Savinšek went on several trips to Europe, where he became acquainted with various current art movements with his own eyes.
Most of these fluctuated between tradition and modernity, which can also be seen in the initial direction of Savinšek's language. In the first phase, he embraced psychologically emphasized naturalism, which had many picturesque details and greater attention to surface treatment. This way of design indicated a traditional or realistic approach and followed the models of older artists. Over time, he developed his own language to completely purified forms, in which linear stylized images prevailed. This appeared in Savinšek from the mid-1950s onwards. In doing so, he preserved the individual characteristics of the person portrayed, without devoting himself to the details in detail.
In the legacy of Jakob Savinšek we find numerous portraits in bronze, iron, plaster. Some of them are also made of clay and stone. Most of them show an abstract and geometrized approach to the design of the figure, which is best seen in his series of important Slovenian men. Among the most recognizable is the draft for the monument to Plečnik. This small sculpture shows how skilled a sculptor Savinšek was. With it, he placed himself alongside two leading sculptors of the modern era - Constantin Brancusi and Henry Moore. The schematized figure only radiates the essence of the depicted. It is possible to notice both the glow and the sparkle, which is why when viewing Savinšek's works we have the feeling that he captured the true spirit in the images. Despite the fact that he had an extremely short career, his works reached the very top of modernist sculpture in Slovenia.
He also created several monuments to the National Liberation War, and in his free time he also liked to paint. He used oil paints, chalk and ink, and he also tried his hand at copper engraving and linocut. Most of his works can be found in Ljubljana, but regardless of this, Savinšek's influence also reached Dolenjska and Bela Krajina. The artist presented himself at numerous solo and group exhibitions in Ljubljana and Belgrade, and he also presented his works for viewing elsewhere in Slovenia and Europe. In 1957, he received the Trdin Award, as the jury recognized the artist's talent and paid tribute to his talent.
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Jakob Savinšek je bil ena najvidnejših figur v slovenskem kiparstvu po drugi svetovni vojni. Poznamo ga predvsem kot pobudnika velikih kiparskih simpozijev Forma viva, na katerih se je z monumentalno plastiko predstavila večina tedanjih slovenski kiparjev. Po koncu vojne se je Savinšek vpisal na Akademijo za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani. Tam je leta 1949 tudi diplomiral. V petdesetih letih se je Savinšek odpravil na nekaj potovanj po Evropi, kjer se je na lastne oči seznanil z raznolikimi aktualnimi umetnostnimi tokovi.
Večina teh je nihala med tradicijo in moderno, kar je mogoče opaziti tudi v začetni smeri Savinškove govorice. V prvi fazi se je oklenil psihološko poudarjenega naturalizma, ki je imel veliko slikovitih detajlov in večjo pozornost v obdelavi površine. Takšen način oblikovanja je kazal na tradicionalen oz. realističen pristop in je sledil še vzorom starejših umetnikov. Skozi čas je lastno govorico razvil do popolnoma izčiščenih oblik, v katerih so zavladale linearno stilizirane podobe. To se je pri Savinšku pojavilo od srede 50ih let dalje. Pri tem je ohranil individualne značilnosti portretiranca, brez da bi se detajlno posvetil podrobnostim.
V zapuščini Jakoba Savinška najdemo številne portrete v bronu, železu mavcu. Nekaj jih je tudi iz gline in kamna. Večina teh kaže na abstrakten in geometriziran pristop v oblikovanju figure, kar je najbolje opazno v njegovi seriji pomembnih slovenskih mož. Med najbolj prepoznavne sodi osnutek za spomenik Plečniku. Ta mala plastika kaže kako spreten kipar je bil Savinšek. Z njo se je namreč postavil ob bok dvema vodilnima kiparjema moderne dobe - Constantinu Brancusiju in Henryju Mooru. Shematizirana figura izžareva le bistvo upodobljenca. Na njem je mogoče opaziti tako žar kot iskrivost, zato imamo ob ogledu Savinškovih del občutek, da je v podobe ujel pravega duha. Kljub temu, da je imel izredno kratko kariero, je s svojimi deli segel v sam vrh modernističnega kiparstva na Slovenskem.
Izdelal je tudi kar nekaj spomenikov NOB, v prostem času pa je rad tudi slikal. Uporabljal je oljne barve, kredo in tuše, preizkusil pa se je tudi v bakrorezu in linorezu. Največ njegovih del najdemo v Ljubljani, ne glede na to pa je Savinškov vpliv segel tudi na Dolenjsko in v Belo krajino. Umetnik se je namreč predstavil na številnih samostojnih in skupinskih razstavah v Ljubljani in Beogradu, na ogled pa je dela predstavil tudi drugod po Sloveniji in Evropi. Leta 1957 je prejel Trdinovo nagrado, saj je žirija prepoznala umetnikovo nadarjenost in se je poklonila njegovemu talentu.
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:
- Karel BAČER, s. v. Savinšek, Jakob (1922-1961), Obrazi slovenskih pokrajin, 2020, https://www.obrazislovenskihpokrajin.si/oseba/savinsek-jakob/ (19.5.2025).
- Mateja BREŠČAK, s. v. Jakob Savinšek, Sto umetnin Narodne galerije, Ljubljana 2016, pp. 200-201.
- Luc MENAŠE, s. v. Savinšek, Jakob, Evropski umetnostno zgodovinski leksikon, Ljubljana 1971, coll. 1913-1914.
- Uredništvo, s. v. Kiparstvo med socialističnim realizmom in konceptualizmom, Pojmovnik slovenske umetnosti po letu 1945, pp. 117-122.
- Ciril VELEPIČ, s. v. Savinšek, Jakob, Enciklopedija Likovnih Umjetnosti, 4, Zagreb 1966, p. 175.
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