(Idrija, 3.12.1911-Ljubljana, 3.12.1981)
Nikolaj Omersa belongs to the generation of Slovenian artists who went to the Zagreb Academy for art education before the Second World War. Until 1945, this had not yet made its way in Ljubljana. He visited it between 1933 and 1937. During his schooling, he met Croatian artists as well as Croatian artists, with whom he maintained close contacts throughout his life. After receiving his academic education, Nikolaj Omersa travelled a lot.
At first he went to Italy and France, where he developed his artistic style. After returning to Ljubljana, he joined the Neodvisni club. It was composed of Slovenian painters and illustrators who exhibited together. At that time, he also took over the teaching position at the school for arts and crafts. In 1954, he accepted the position of pedagogue at the Art Academy in Ljubljana and significantly influenced the development of new generations of artists in the second half of the 20th century. Throughout his career, he was heavily involved in illustration. Despite the fact that these were very well received by art critics and he received as many as three Levstik awards for them, Omersa preferred to devote himself to painting. Most of the works were created using the technique of oil on canvas or gouache. He was mainly interested in the everyday world around him. Landscapes, views of Ljubljana and coastal cities, portraits of children and nudes dominate his directly recognizable motifs. In his artistic expression, he skillfully modeled the depicted objects with paint. Through lively coloring, he intensified sensual effects, so that in his painting it is possible to feel either melancholy or joy.
During his life, he produced quite a few self-portraits. Vanje captured a humorous moment with which he came close to caricature. He took such an approach only with his own images, as the clients strove for the most representative and realistic images possible, with which they expressed a high and dignified status in society. His artistic speech changed somewhat during the Second World War. At that time, he emphasized the central motif with a black outline, and changes can also be seen in the color palette. His backgrounds are not monochromatic, but, following the example of van Gogh and Matisse, he emphasized them with various shades that emphasized the painted objects. Nikolaj Omersa participated in many art exhibitions, where he presented his works together with his colleagues.
---
Nikolaj Omersa sodi v generacijo slovenskih umetnikov, ki so se po likovno izobrazbo pred drugo svetovno vojno odpravili na zagrebško akademijo. Do leta 1945 si ta namreč še ni utrla poti v Ljubljani. Obiskoval jo je med 1933 in 1937. V času šolanja je poleg naših ustvarjalcev spoznal tudi hrvaške umetnike, s katerimi je skozi vse življenje ohranil tesne kontakte. Po pridobljeni akademski izobrazbi je Nikolaj Omersa veliko potoval.
Sprva se je odpravil v Italijo in Francijo, kjer je razvijal svoj umetnostni slog. Po vrnitvi v Ljubljano se je pridružil klubu Neodvisnih. Sestavljali so ga slovenski slikarji in ilustratorji, ki so skupaj razstavljali. Takrat je prevzel tudi pedagoško funkcijo na šoli za umetno obrt. Leta 1954 je sprejel mesto pedagoga na likovni akademiji v Ljubljani in pomembno vplival na razvoj novih generacij umetnikov v drugi polovici 20. stoletja. Skozi celotno kariero se je veliko ukvarjal z ilustracijo. Kljub temu, da so bile te zelo dobro sprejete med likovnimi kritiki in je zanje prejel kar tri Levstikove nagrade, se je Omersa raje posvečal slikarstvu. Večino del je nastalo v tehniki olja na platno ali pa v gvašu. Zanimal se je predvsem za vsakdanji svet okoli sebe. Med njegovimi neposredno spoznavnimi motivi prevladujejo krajine, vedute Ljubljane in obalnih mest, portreti otrok in akti. V svojem likovnem izrazu je upodobljene predmete spretno modeliral z barvo. Preko živahnega kolorita je stopnjeval čutne učinke, tako da je v njegovem slikarstvu mogoče občutiti bodisi melanholijo bodisi veselje.
Tekom življenja je izdelal kar nekaj avtoportretov. Vanje je ujel humorni moment s katerim se je približal karikaturi. Takšen pristop je ubral zgolj pri lastnih podobah, saj so naročniki stremeli k čim bolj reprezentativnim in realističnim podobam, s katerimi so izražali visok in dostojanstven status v družbi. Njegova likovna govorca se je v času druge svetovne vojne nekoliko spremenila. Takrat je osrednji motiv poudaril s črno konturo, spremembe pa je mogoče opaziti tudi v barvni paleti. Njegova ozadja niso monokromatska ampak jih je po vzoru van Gogha in Matissa poudaril z raznovrstnimi odtenki, ki so poudarili naslikane objekte. Nikolaj Omersa se je udeležil številnih umetnostnih razstav, na katerih je skupaj s kolegi predstavil svoja dela.
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:
Špelca ČOPIČ, Slovensko slikarstvo, Ljubljana 1966.
Lucijan MENAŠE, s. v. Omersa, Nikolaj, Enciklopedija Likovnih Umjetnosti, 3, Zagreb 1964, p. 594.
Luc MENAŠE, s. v. Omersa Nikolaj, Evropski umetnostno zgodovinski leksikon, Ljubljana 1971,
coll. 1525-1526.
For all additional information regarding the purchase and other services, you can contact us by phone or e-mail: info@portaalpina-gallery.com
We will try to answer you as soon as possible.