Molly Bonač

(1919-1995)

Molly Bonač was one of the last artists to attend the painting school of Rihard Jakopič. She is considered a representative of modern painting, which was still based on the foundations of Slovenian impressionism, but there is already a noticeable shift in her artistic language towards more modern approaches. She was an academically trained artist. During World War II (1941-1944), she attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, and then went to Ljubljana.

Her oeuvre is dominated by still lifes, most of which are floral arrangements. She also painted interiors and figures, and similarly to the Slovenian impressionists, she herself researched how the landscape changes at certain times of the day and with various light accents. Her works are not the result of a momentary ecstasy. Nor do they convey higher philosophical content. Mood prevailed in Molly Bonač's artworks, as the artist combined a harmonious colour palette with a well-considered artistic composition. Her move was much more refined, so it's easier to recognize the central motif. The art profession most often ranks her among the post-impressionists. At the Jakopič painting school, the professor taught her how to prime canvases and what she should focus on when painting, and then she took a step towards her own artistic language. During this time, she also followed the advice of Hinko Smrekar, whom she met in artistic circles. Her paintings do not have an excessive dramatic or emotional charge, flashy colours or expressive features, but appear more harmonious and evoke a sense of calm and intimacy in the viewer.

She was aware that she had to create visually pleasing and light images with which she would achieve a sufficiently good market value on the market. This was extremely important to Molly, as more radical interventions in the artworks would have made it impossible for her to survive. Her paintings are not a reflection of the real world and do not mirror an image from nature, but are visually adapted projections for all art lovers. The painter had her first independent exhibition in Ljubljana in 1948, at Zadruga, and then participated in several group exhibitions.

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Molly Bonač je bila med zadnjimi umetnicami, ki so obiskovale slikarsko šolo Riharda Jakopiča. Velja za predstavnico modernega slikarstva, ki se sicer opirala še na temelje slovenskega impresionizma pa vendar je v njeni likovni govorici že opazen premik proti sodobnejšim prijemom. Bila je akademsko izobražena umetnica. V času med drugo svetovno vojno (1941-1944) je obiskovala akademijo lepih umetnosti v Bologni, nato pa se je odpravila v Ljubljano.

V njenem opusu dominirajo tihožitja, med katerimi je največ cvetličnih aranžmajev. Slikala je tudi interierje in figuraliko, podobno kot slovenski impresionisti pa je tudi sama raziskovala kako se krajina spreminja v določenih delih dneva in ob raznovrstnih svetlobnih poudarkih. Njena dela niso posledica hipnega zanosa. Prav tako ne posredujejo višje filozofske vsebine. V umetninah Molly Bonač je zavladala štimunga, saj je umetnica združila med seboj skladno barvno paleto s pretehtano likovno kompozicijo. Njena poteza je bila dosti bolj izčiščena zato tudi lažje prepoznamo centralni motiv. Umetnostna stroka jo največkrat uvršča med poimpresioniste. V Jakopičevi slikarski šoli jo je profesor naučil kako grundirati platna in na kaj se mora osredotočit pri slikanju, nato pa naredila korak proti lastni likovni govorici. V tem času je upoštevala tudi nasvete Hinka Smrekarja, s katerim se je seznanila v umetnostnih krogih. Njene slike nimajo pretiranega dramatičnega ali čustvenega naboja, kričečih barv ali izrazit poteze ampak delujejo bolj harmonične in v gledalcu vzbujajo občutek mirnosti in intime.

Zavedala se je, da mora ustvariti na pogled prijetne in lahkotne podobe, s katerimi bo na trgu dosegla dovolj dobro tržno vrednost. To je bilo za Molly izjemno pomembno, saj bi ji bolj radikalni posegi v umetnine onemogočali preživetje. Njene slike niso odraz realnega sveta in ne zrcalijo podobo iz narave ampak so vizualno prilagojene projekcije za vse ljubitelje umetnosti. Slikarka je prvič samostojno razstavila v Ljubljani leta 1948, v Zadrugi, nato pa se je udeležila še nekaj skupinskih razstav.

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

SOURCES/VIRI:
Janez MESESNEL, Živo, tvorno izročilo, Delo, XXXII/213, 12.8.1990, p. 7.
Jasna ŠKRINJAR, »Bil je heroj v slikarstvu« Molly Bonač, Naša komuna, XXV/3, 8.3.1988, p. 6.