(Solkan, 11.4.1911 - Ljubljana, 11.11.1990)
Zdenko Kalin was one of the most important Slovenian sculptors in stone and bronze, who worked during the 20th century. He and his family moved to Ljubljana in his early youth, as the threat of World War I threatened his native Solkan. Kalin first received his art education at a secondary technical school. He completed it at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb, where he enrolled in 1930.
After completing his four-year studies, he graduated with honors, and then returned to Ljubljana. In the city, he joined the Independent group. In 1948, he was hired as a full professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. During this period, the artist painted many portraits. He depicted famous Slovenian figures, such as Oton Župančič and others, and also created several female nudes and children's portraits. During his rich artistic career, Zdenko Kalin traveled to Italy and France several times. There, he followed the development of contemporary artists with interest in order to perfect his skills with new insights.
His oeuvre includes quite a few smaller and larger sculptures. His earlier works contain an impressionistic approach to surface treatment and treatment of the motif. He drew inspiration for them from the great French artist Auguste Rodin. Later, Kalin's artistic expression changed somewhat. His works became increasingly purified and static, without expressing the need for movement in them. At that time, he relied primarily on the sculptor Maillol, who was considered a master of the new figural style. The Slovenian artist also created several series in which several sculptures with the same theme are united under an umbrella name. One of these is Children's Games, in which he tried to depict adolescents spending their free time. It is an exceptionally high-quality series in which he explored how figures work in space. In the motif in question, he completely distanced himself from real physicality and preferred to focus on stylized modeling. The figures show an increasing linearity, which is one of the characteristic elements of the later period.
After liberation, he received several commissions for monuments in support of the National Liberation Movement. One of the more monumental is the Victory Monument in Murska Sobota, which he designed together with his brother Boris. In 1973, Zdenko Kalin joined Group 69. It was considered a famous group of visual artists who strived for the most active international connection between our and foreign creators. In 1952, he presented himself at the Venice Biennale. He also exhibited within the framework of the Club of Independents and at several sculpture exhibitions throughout Yugoslavia. During his fruitful artistic career, he received several awards. He was awarded the Prešeren Award twice, in 1955 and 1982. His works can be found in the most important galleries of modern art in the territory of the former Yugoslavia, and are still considered to be exceptionally high-quality art in visually effective compositions.
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Zdenko Kalin je bil eden poglavitnih slovenskih kiparjev v kamnu in bronu, ki je ustvarjal tekom 20. stoletja. Že v rani mladosti se je skupaj z družino naselil v Ljubljano, saj je v rodnem Solkanu grozila nevarnost 1. svetovne vojne. Kalin je umetnostno izobrazbo najprej pridobil na srednji tehnični šoli. Izpopolnil jo je na likovni akademijo v Zagrebu, kamor se je vpisal leta 1930.
Po koncu štiriletnega študija je z odliko diplomiral, nato pa se je zopet vrnil v Ljubljano. V mestu se je pridružil skupini Neodvisnih. Leta 1948 so ga zaposlili kot rednega profesorja na Akademiji likovnih umetnosti v Ljubljani. V tem obdobju je umetnik večkrat portretiral. Upodabljal je znane slovenske osebnosti npr. Otona Župančiča in druge, izdelal pa je tudi več ženskih aktov in otroških portretov. Tekom bogate umetnostne kariere se je Zdenko Kalin večkrat odpravil v Italijo in Francijo. Tam je z zanimanjem spremljal razvoj sočasnih umetnikov, da bi z novimi spoznanji izpopolnil svoje veščine.
V njegovem opusu je kar nekaj manjše pa tudi večje plastike. Njegova zgodnejša dela vsebujejo impresionistični pristop v obdelavi površine in obravnavi motiva. Navdih zanje je črpal pri velikem francoskem umetniku Avgust Rodinu. Kasneje se je Kalinov likovni izraz nekoliko spremenil. Njegova dela so postala vse bolj izčiščena in statična, brez da bi v njih izrazil potrebo po gibanju. Takrat se je oprl predvsem na kiparja Maillola, ki je veljal za mojstra nove figuralike. Slovenski umetnik je ustvaril tudi nekaj serij, v katerih je pod krovnim imenom združenih več kipov z isto tematiko. Ena takšnih so Otroške igre, v katerih je skušal prikazati mladostnike pri preživljanju prostega časa. Gre za izjemno kvalitetno serijo, v kateri je raziskoval kako figure delujejo v prostoru. V obravnavani motiviki se je popolnoma oddaljil od resnične telesnosti in se je raje usmeril k stilizirani modelaciji. V figurah je opazna vse večja linearnost, ki je eden izmed značilnih elementov poznejšega obdobja.
Po osvoboditvi je prejel kar nekaj naročil za spomenike v podporo Narodno osvobodilnemu gibanju. Eden bolj monumentalnih je Spomenik zmage v Murski Soboti, ki ga je oblikoval skupaj z bratom Borisom. Leta 1973 se je Zdenko Kalin pridružil Grupi 69. Veljala je za znamenito skupino likovnih umetnikov, ki so si prizadevali za čim bolj aktivno mednarodno povezovanje med našimi in tujimi ustvarjalci. Leta 1952 se je predstavil na Beneškem bienalu. Razstavljal je tudi v okviru Kluba neodvisnih in na več kiparskih razstavah po Jugoslaviji. V svoji plodoviti umetnostni karieri je prejel kar nekaj nagrad. Kar dvakrat so mu podelili Prešernovo nagrado, in sicer leta 1955 in 1982. Njegova dela najdemo v najpomembnejših galerijah moderne umetnosti na ozemlju nekdanje Jugoslavije, še danes pa veljajo za izjemno kvalitetno umetnost v vizualno učinkovitih kompozicijah.
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:
Jadranka LJUBIČIĆ, s. v. Grupa 69, Pojmovnik slovenske umetnosti po letu 1945, Ljubljana 2009, pp. 80-83.
104.
Luc MENAŠE, s. v. Zdenko, Kalin, Evropski umetnostno zgodovinski leksikon, Ljubljana 1971,
Coll 969-970.
Donovan PAVLINEC, s. v. Socialistični realizem, Pojmovnik slovenske umetnosti po letu 1945, Ljubljana 2009, pp. 262-268.
Milko RENER, s. v. Kalin, Zdenko (1911-1990), Primorski slovenski biografski leksikon, 8. sn. Kacin -
Križnar, Gorica 1982, (12.1.2025).
Marijan ZADNIKAR, s. v. Kalin, Zdenko, Enciklopedija Likovnih Umjetnosti, 3, Zagreb 1964, p. 134.
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