(Kamna Gorica pri Kropi, 9.9.1792 - Ljubljana, 20.10.1855)
Matevž Langus is considered one of the three main artists who depicted the Slovenian bourgeoisie in the 19th century. At that time, there was a great demand for portraits, as the development of Enlightenment thinking repositioned man at the center of the universe. The national spirit also increasingly came to the fore, which also marked the field of creativity.
Langus initially received his painting education in Klagenfurt. There he visited the studio of Janez pl. Schreibers. A short period was followed by a trip to Vienna, where he attended the local art academy for two years. He was impressed by the bright palette and realistic approach that were the foundation of the Viennese direction. In the city, he met Prešeren, who introduced him to a wide circle of Slovenian intellectuals. In 1824, Matevž traveled to Italy. There he studied the works of the old masters in order to train himself in painting. He visited Ancona, Rome, Naples, Florence and Milan to get acquainted with other contemporary painters. After returning home, he moved to Ljubljana. At first, he established himself as a church painter, but a few years later he began to paint portraits. During his fruitful career, he created quite a few works.
Among Langus's most famous masterpieces are: the painting of the dome in the Ljubljana Cathedral and famous bourgeois portraits, e.g. the depiction of the Ljubljana merchant Hohn. In his work, he kept up with the times, as he followed models from abroad. Over time, his features became refined and soft in order to please and gain the widest possible circle of clients. Portraiture was considered a classical academic practice, which had already established itself in the fine arts in the Renaissance and, due to the demand for them, was preserved in the 19th century. In order to immortalize the memory of important Ljubljana craftsmen and merchants, he received numerous commissions for his work, with the help of which the townspeople wrote themselves into history forever.
His compositions are built on two planes. The first contains the depicted figure, and the second contains the background that enriches the picture. Most often, these show vedute or views of the native land, thereby placing the national theme against an aristocratic backdrop. Despite the fact that he brought freshness to the manner of depiction, in most cases a strong connection between the figure and the artistic space was not established. The portraits act more like individual images against a romantic landscape. He also tried his hand at creating monumental wall paintings. Although these follow the Baroque tradition, he could not surpass them in any way despite his efforts.
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Matevž Langus liked to teach painting in his free time. He was the fundamental role model for Henrika Langus' daughter, who was not allowed to enroll in the academy. Josip Kogovšek also studied under him.
Matevž Langus velja za enega izmed treh poglavitnih umetnikov, ki so v 19. stoletju upodabljali slovensko meščanstvo. V tem času je bilo veliko povpraševanje po portretu, saj so z razvojem razsvetljenske miselnosti v središče univerzuma ponovno umestili človeka. V ospredju se je vse pogosteje pojavil tudi nacionalni duh, ki je prav tako zaznamoval področje ustvarjalnosti. Slikarsko izobrazbo je Langus sprva prejel v Celovcu. Tam je obiskoval atelje Janeza pl. Schreibersa. Kratkemu obdobju je sledila pot na Dunaj, kjer je dve leti obiskoval lokalno umetnostno akademijo. Navdušil se je nad svetlo paleto in realističnim pristopom, ki sta bila temelj dunajske usmeritve. V mestu se je spoznal s Prešernom, ki ga je predstavil širokemu krogu slovenskih izobražencev. Leta 1824 je Matevž odpotoval v Italijo. Tam je študiral dela starih mojstrov, da bi se izuril v slikanju. Obiskal je Ankono, Rim, Neapelj, Firence in Milano, da bi se seznanil tudi z drugimi sočasnimi slikarji. Po vrnitvi domov, se je preselil v Ljubljano. Sprva se je uveljavil kot cerkveni slikar, nekaj let kasneje pa je pričel portretirati. Tekom svoje plodovite kariere je ustvaril kar nekaj del.
Med najbolj poznane Langusove mojstrovine sodijo: poslikava kupole v ljubljanski stolnici in znameniti meščanski portreti npr. upodobitev ljubljanskega trgovca Hohna. Pri delu je bil v koraku s časom, saj je sledil vzorom iz tujine. Njegove poteze so skozi čas postale prefinjene in mehke, da bi z njimi ugajal in pridobil čim večji krog naročnikov. Portretiranje je veljalo za klasično akademsko prakso, ki se je v likovni umetnosti uveljavilo že v renesansi in se je zaradi povpraševanja po teh obdržalo še v 19. stoletju. Da bi ovekovečili spomin na pomembne ljubljanske obrtnike in trgovce, je v delo prejel številna naročila, s pomočjo katerih so se meščani v zgodovino zapisali za zmeraj.
Njegove kompozicije so zgrajene iz dveh planov. V prvem se nahaja upodobljena figura, v drugem pa sliko bogati ozadje. Največkrat te prikazujejo vedute ali poglede na domačo zemljo, s čimer je nacionalno tematiko postavil pred aristokratsko kuliso. Kljub temu, da je v način upodabljanja prinesel svežino, se v večini primerov ni vzpostavila močna vez med figuro in likovnim prostorom. Portreti delujejo bolj kot individualne podobe pred romantično krajino. Preizkusil se je tudi v izdelovanju monumentalnih stenskih poslikav. Te sicer sledijo baročni tradiciji, a jih kljub prizadevanjem nikakor ni mogel preseči. Matevž Langus je v prostem času rad poučeval slikarstvo. Bil je temeljni vzornik hčerke Henrike Langus, ki se ni smela vpisati na akademijo. Pri njem se je izučil tudi Josip Kogovšek.
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:
Špelca ČOPIČ, Slovensko slikarstvo, Ljubljana 1966.
Luc MENAŠE, s. v. Langus Matevž, Evropski umetnostno zgodovinski leksikon, Ljubljana 1971,
col. 1135.
France STELE, Slovenski slikarji, Ljubljana 1949, p. 148.
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