(1919, Nova vas pri Markovcih – 4.9.2017, Zgornje Poljčane)
Janez Šibila established himself as a painter-poet of nature and the events in it. His work is strongly connected to the changing environment, the exploration of light and the atmospheric experience in it. He was born into a modest peasant family, which was only slightly supportive. His talent for drawing was first noticed by his teacher Drago Hasl, who provided Janez with a scholarship for further education.
In 1940, he enrolled in the sculpture department of the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, and from there he traveled to Vienna. In the imperial capital, he transferred to the painting department. He completed his studies with distinction in 1948, when he graduated from the Ljubljana Academy under the mentorship of Božidar Jakac and Gojmir Anton Kos. After completing his education, Šibila liked to visit the studio of Gabrijel Stupica. The latter greatly influenced the artist's further work, which he cultivated in addition to his teaching work until his retirement. Janez Šibila taught at the teacher training college in Tolmin, at the gymnasium in Ravne na Koroškem and in Maribor, where he remained until his retirement. He also set up a painting studio in Podutik, where most of his works were created.
He painted most of his images with oil or watercolors. This allowed him to create soft and subtle transitions between color shades, which made his works somewhat lyrical. He most often depicted landscapes, city views and still life. He was also interested in figurative art, either as a portrait or as part of a wider composition. In his painting, he was inspired by the greatest European artists such as Tintoretto, Cézanne and Renoir. In the last phase of his creative work, Šibila often faced church commissions. He dealt with both altars and interior spaces, which he tried to complement with poetic effects of light and color. He was also one of the more active artists, presenting his works at numerous solo and group exhibitions.
His first major exhibition took place in 1952 in Ravne na Koroškem. He also participated in painting colonies and collaborated in the Society of Slovenian Fine Artists. For his work, he was awarded the Prešeren Fund Award in 1978. Šibila's oeuvre reminds us that the artist was one of the last painters of the old classical school and that, with his mastery of color and light, he left an important mark on the Slovenian painting legacy.
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Janez Šibila se je uveljavil kot slikarski poet narave in dogajanja v njej. Njegovo delo je močno povezano s spreminjajočim se okoljem, raziskovanjem svetlobe in atmosferskim doživljanjem v njej. Rodil se je v skromno kmečko družino, ki mu je le s težka stala ob strani. Njegov talent za risanje je sprva opazil učitelj Drago Hasl, ki je Janezu priskrbel štipendijo za nadaljnje izobraževanje.
Leta 1940 se je vpisal na kiparski oddelek Akademije likovnih umetnosti v Zagrebu, od tod pa je odpotoval naprej na Dunaj. V cesarski prestolnici se je prepisal na oddelek za slikarstvo. Študij je leta 1948 zaključil z odliko, ko je pod mentorstvom Božidarja Jakca in Gojmira Antona Kosa diplomiral na Ljubljanski Akademiji. Po končanem izobraževanju je Šibila rad zahajal v atelje Gabrijela Stupice. Ta je v veliki meri vplival na umetnikovo nadaljnje ustvarjanje, ki ga je poleg pedagoškega dela gojil do upokojitve. Janez Šibila je poučeval na učiteljišču v Tolminu, na gimnaziji na Ravnah na Koroškem in v Mariboru, kjer je ostal do upokojitve. Uredil si je tudi slikarski atelje, v Podutiku, kjer je nastalo največ njegovih del. Večino podob je naslikal z oljem ali akvarelnimi barvami. To mu je omogočilo mehko in subtilno prehajanje med barvnimi odtenki, s čimer so njegova dela postala nekoliko lirična.
Največkrat je upodabljal pokrajino, veduta mest in tihožitja. Zanimal se je tudi za figuraliko, bodisi kot portret bodisi kot del širše kompozicije. Pri slikanju se je zgledoval po največjih evropskih umetnikih kot npr. Tintorettu, Cézannu in Renoirju. V zadnji fazi ustvarjanja se je Šibila pogosto spopadel tudi s cerkvenimi naročili. Ukvarjal se je tako z oltarji kot tudi z notranjim prostorom, ki ga je skušal dopolniti s svetlobnimi in barvnimi poetičnimi učinki. Bil je tudi eden izmed bolj aktivnih umetnikov, ki se je z deli predstavil na številnih samostojnih in skupinskih razstavah.
Njegova prva velika razstava je potekla leta 1952 v na Ravnah na Koroškem. Udeleževal se je tudi slikarskih kolonij in sodeloval v Društvu slovenskih likovnih umetnikov. Za svoje delo so mu leta 1978 podelili Nagrado Prešernovega sklada. Šibilin opus nas opominja, da je bil umetnik eden zadnjih slikarjev stare klasične šole in da je z obvladovanjem barve in svetlobe pustil pomemben pečat v slovenski slikarski zapuščini.
Besedilo je za galerijo Porta Alpina pripravila Pia Župevec, mag. um. zgod.
VIRI:
Dr. Maja VETRIH, Janez Šibila -Oltarji in cvetje, https://www.kdfjm.si/?page_id=114 (12.2.2026).
Janez ŠIBILA, Galerija Prešernovih nagrajencev Kranj, https://gpn.si/en/permanent-collection/umetniki?view=gpn5&Sifra=079&Tip=1 (10.2.2026).
Janez ŠIBILA, Galerija Zula, https://galerija-zula.si/umetniki/janez-sibila/(1.2.2026)
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