(1889, Srebrenica – 18.9.1925, Zagreb)
Mihajlo Timčišin was a South Slavic painter whose work made a significant contribution to preserving the traditions of his native region. Even as a child, Timčišin devoted much of his time to drawing, developing skills that he later refined during his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. He stayed there from 1908 to 1910, subsequently continuing his education at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. 
During this two-year period of advanced study, Timčišin developed his own artistic style, blending the academic tradition of Central Europe with contemporary painting techniques. Later, he also dedicated himself to teaching; from 1919, he taught drawing at secondary schools in Banja Luka and Tuzla. During this time, the artist also exhibited his work on several occasions - notably at the Exhibition of Artists of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo in 1917, as well as in Zagreb in 1920 and 1923. His body of work is thematically diverse, though only partially preserved. It consists primarily of portraits and landscapes, with occasional forays into genre scenes. These works are characterized by a lyrical approach to their subject matter, as well as a profound psychological depth in the portrayal of his subjects, with a particular emphasis on their individual character. Timčišin worked primarily in the medium of watercolor. Among his surviving works are several pastels, as well as a number of drawings.
Although only a small portion of his oeuvre has been preserved, the painter is considered a significant figure of the early 20th century. In his works, he succeeded in evoking an intimate and dignified atmosphere within each of his readily recognizable subjects - an effect achieved primarily through his skillful manipulation of light and shadow. Another characteristic feature of his style was the soft transition between color tones, even though he remained committed to a palette of subdued, earthy hues. To this day, he remains a notable name represented in private art collections throughout Southern and Central Europe.
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Mihajlo Timčišin je bil eden izmed južnoslovanskih slikarjev, ki je s svojimi deli pomembno prispeval k ohranjanju tradicije domačega prostora. Že kot otrok je Timčišin veliko časa posvetil risanju, Tedaj je razvil nekaj spretnosti, ki jih je nadgradil med šolanjem na Akademiji likovnih umetnosti na Dunaju. Tam se je mudil med 1908 in 1910, od tod pa se je odpravil še na Akademijo likovnih umetnosti v Krakovu.
Med tem dvoletnim izpopolnjevanjem je Timčišin izoblikoval lasten likovni izraz, v katerem je združil akademsko tradicijo srednjeevropskega prostora s sodobnimi slikarskimi prijemi. Kasneje se je posvetil tudi pedagoškemu delu. Od leta 1919 je poučeval risanje na gimnaziji v Banji Luki in Tuzli. V tem času je umetnik tudi večkrat razstavljal. S svojimi deli se je predstavil na Razstavi umetnikov Bosne in Hercegovine v Sarajevu leta 1917 ter v Zagrebu, leta 1920 in 1923. Njegov opus je motivno raznolik, vendar okrnjen. V njem prevladujejo portreti in krajine, občasno pa se je lotil tudi upodabljanja žanrskih prizorov. V teh se je izrazila predvsem liričnost do obravnavane tematike, posebej značilna pa je tudi poglobljena psihologizacija upodobljencev s poudarkom na značaju. Timčišin je ustvarjal predvsem v tehniki akvarela. Med ohranjenimi deli je prisotnih tudi nekaj pastelov, izdelal pa je tudi nekaj risb.
Kljub dejstvu, da se je do danes ohranilo le malo njegovih del velja slikar za pomembnega predstavnika zgodnjega 20. stoletja. S svojimi deli je namreč uspel pričarati intimno in dostojanstveno vzdušje v vsakem izmed neposredno spoznavnih motivov, pri čemer mu je pomagala predvsem spretna modelacijo svetlobe in senc. Značilno zanj je bilo tudi mehko prehajanje med barvnimi toni, pa čeprav je umetnik ostal zavezan k umirjenim zemeljskim odtenkom. Slikar še danes velja kot pomembno ime v privatnih umetnostnih zbirkah po vsem južnem in srednjeevropskem milijeju.
Besedilo je za galerijo Porta Alpina pripravila Pia Župevec, dipl. um. zgod.
The text was prepared for the Porta Alpina gallery by Pia Župevec, B.Sc. art history
VIRI/SOURCES:
Enciklopedija likovnih umjetnosti, JLZ, Zagreb, 1966, 4, S. 422.
Andreas KLIMT-Michael STEPPES, Enciclopedia universal de los artistas indice bio-bibliográfico A–Z, Verlag K.G. Saur, 1999.
Timčišin Mihajlo, Umjetnička galerija Bosne i Herzegovine, https://ugbih.ba/en/2020/09/15/timcisin-mihajlo/ (1.7.2026).
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