(Ljubljana, 16.4.1953 - Ljubljana, 26.8.2019)
Zmago Modic was a versatile Slovenian artist who, with his interventions in Ljubljana, tried to revive cultural and artistic activity in the Slovenian capital as much as possible. He studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana. In 1987, he founded his own painting school.
We are best known for organizing a summer painting school in the middle of the city's hustle and bustle. For 40 years, he organized outdoor painting courses. His workshops for children and adults took place on the streets of Ljubljana. They learned various practices, and they also painted from naked models. Thus, the entire city became a studio, and people were invited to create to the fullest extent. Modic constantly tried to establish contact with visitors. Although he loved painting immensely, he also created a few installations with which he also reached into public space.
Every year, he prepared a New Year's decoration of the capital, which he called Space Ljubljana. Celestial bodies, geometric and mathematical images appeared in the middle of the city, which followed a new concept every year. He decorated the city sky to enable people to experience the capital as much as possible. We also know him as the author of the installation on Prešeren Square, entitled The Field of Our Own Weather. It is a thoughtful construct that is both a work of art and a pleasant refreshment for visitors during the summer heat. His designs also appeared in the city on Earth Day. Zmago Modic liked to go to concerts that took place as part of the Ljubljana Festival. During the events themselves, he often painted musicians and other artists, live, while the spectacles were being performed. In his artistic expression, he moved away from realism.
He preferred to rely on surrealism, as a wide variety of objects appeared in his images, which he breathed new life into. He painted a wide variety of motifs, which he transferred to the canvas with oil paints. He has repeatedly attempted to depict landscapes, in softer lines. In the final image, these have the effect of a vision of a romantic landscape with a color-coordinated scale. In his mature creative years, he also tried his hand as a director and set designer. He organized several events in the capital, at which he performed several times. Modic is one of the provocative artists who tried to reach outside the established framework. He was not interested in the taste of the majority, but with his creativity he criticized mediocrity and promoted boldness. During his career, he participated in several art exhibitions.
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Zmago Modic je bil vsestranski slovenski ustvarjalec, ki je s svojimi intervencijami v Ljubljani skušal čim bolje oživeti kulturno-umetnostno dejavnost, v slovenski prestolnici. Slikarstvo je študiral na akademiji za likovno umetnost, v Ljubljani. Leta 1987 je ustanovil svojo slikarsko šolo.
Poznamo ga predvsem po organiziranju poletne slikarske šole sredi mestnega vrveža. Kar 40. let je organiziral tečaje slikanja na prostem. Njegove delavnice za otroke in odrasle so potekale po Ljubljanskih ulicah. Učili so se raznovrstnih praks, slikali pa so tudi po golih modelih. Tako je celotno mesto postalo atelje, ljudje pa so bili v največji meri vabljeni k ustvarjanju. Modic je ves čas skušal vzpostaviti stiku z obiskovalci. Čeprav je izjemno rad slikal, je izdelal tudi nekaj instalacij s katerimi je segel tudi v javni prostor.
Vsako leto je pripravil novoletno okrasitev prestolnice, ki jo je poimenoval Vesoljna Ljubljana. Sredi mesta so se pojavila nebesna telesa, geometrične in matematične podobe, ki so vsako leto sledile novemu konceptu. Okrasil je mestno nebo, da bi ljudem omogočil čim bolj doživet obisk prestolnice. Poznamo ga tudi kot avtorja instalacije na Prešernovem trgu in sicer z naslovom Področje lastnega vremena. Gre za premišljen konstrukt, ki je hkrati umetniško delo in prijetna osvežitev obiskovalcev med poletno vročino. Njegove zasnove so se v mestu pojavile tudi ob dnevu Zemlje. Zmago Modic se je rad odpravil na koncerte, ki so potekali v okviru Festivala Ljubljana. Med samim dogajanjem je večkrat slikal glasbenike in druge ustvarjalce, v živo, kar ob izvajanju spektaklov. V njegovem likovnem izrazu se je odmaknil od realizma.
Raje se je oprl na nadrealizem, saj so se v njegovih podobah pojavili najrazličnejši predmeti, katerim je vdahni novo življenje. Slikal je najrazličnejše motive, ki jih je na platno prenesel z oljnimi barvami. Večkrat se je lotil upodabljanja krajine, v mehkejših linijah. Te v končni podobi učinkujejo kot vizija romantične krajine z barvno usklajeno lestvico. V zreli dobi ustvarjanja se je preizkusil tudi kot režiser in scenograf. Organiziral je več prireditev v prestolnici, pri katerih je večkrat nastopal. Modic sodi med provokativne umetnike, ki so skušali seči izven ustaljenega okvirja. Ni ga zanimal okus večine ampak je s svojo ustvarjalnostjo kritiziral povprečnosti in promoviral drznost. Tekom svoje kariere je sodeloval na več umetnostnih razstavah.
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:
A. J., Umrl je vsestranski umetnik Zmago Modic, MMC RTV SLO, 26.8.2019, https://www.rtvslo.si/kultura/vizualna-umetnost/umrl-je-vsestranski-umetnik-zmago-modic/497900# (22.1.2025).
Janez KOŽELJ, Umrl je Zmago Modic (1953-2019), mestni slikar, 11.10.2019, https://www.ljubljana.si/sl/mestna-obcina/mestna-uprava-mu-mol/oddelki/oddelek-za-kulturo/novice-oddelka-za-kulturo/zmago-modic-19532019-mestni-slikar/ (22.1.2025).
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