Veno Pilon

(22.9.1896, Ajdovščina – 23.9.1970, Ajdovščina)

Veno Pilon was an extremely prominent Slovenian painter, draftsman and caricaturist. He spent most of his life in his native Ajdovščina, which represented the center of Pilon's creativity. Already at a young age, he showed a great talent for drawing, which was recognized by his teacher France Turk. He advised Pilon's parents to support the young boy in further education in the arts, so he set out into the world at an early age.

He initially enrolled in a secondary school in Gorizia. There, Veno also attended classes by Otokar Wohanka, where he learned to draw. In the city, he also met Milan Klemenčič, a pioneer of Slovenian puppetry, who became one of his first mentors who introduced him to the world of art and books. In Gorizia, he also met Lojze Spazzapano, Mario Kogoj and other young intellectuals who thought in a modern and artistically progressive way. With the outbreak of the First World War, he stopped creating for a while. Four days after graduating from high school, he was mobilized into the Austro-Hungarian army.

In 1916, Pilon was taken prisoner by the Russians. During this time, he created a large number of watercolors, with which he documented everyday life in war and expressed his inner sensitivity and artistic depth to the chosen subject matter. After the war, he returned to Ljubljana. There, he continued his education. In 1919, he traveled to Prague, where he met numerous Slovenian intellectuals. He became friends with Božidar Jakac, Ferdo Kozak, Josip Vidmar, and Franc Mesesnel. In the Czech capital, he increasingly leaned toward expressive drawing and graphics, which recorded motifs from everyday life. He also visited Florence and Vienna, where he mainly worked with graphic techniques and the nude.

In 1922, he returned to Ajdovščina. He set up a studio in his home and devoted himself entirely to oil painting. This period is considered the most fruitful phase of Pilon's work. He produced several paintings of the Vipava Valley landscape with a cubist design, psychologically profound portraits and still lifes. After his father's death, Pilon took over the bakery. He ran it ever since he left for Paris in 1928. There, Pilon found himself in a free, open environment. At first, he devoted himself to painting and drawing, but then he became increasingly interested in photography. During his years in Paris, he painted most of his surrealist still lifes, sensitive portraits, and also documented city life. There he also met Anne-Marie Guichard, whom he married and started a family with. While living around the world, Pilon often returned to his homeland.

In 1947, he participated in the filming of the film On My Own Land. After the death of his wife in 1963, he slowly began to think about returning home. He finally left Paris in 1968, when he moved back to Ajdovščina. He devoted the last years of his life primarily to writing, exhibiting, and collecting materials. In 1970, Pilon was awarded the Prešeren Award for Lifetime Achievement. His legacy is now largely presented in the Pilon Gallery, which was made possible by a donation from his son Dominique.

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Veno Pilon je bil izredno ugleden slovenski slikar, risar in karikaturist. Večino svojega življenja je preživel v rodni Ajdovščini, ki je predstavljala središče Pilonovega ustvarjanja. Že v mladih letih je pokazal velik talent za risanje, kar je prepoznal njegov učitelj France Turk. Pilonovim staršem je svetoval, naj mladega fanta podprejo pri nadaljnjem izobraževanju v umetnostni smeri, zato se je že zgodaj odpravil v svet.

Sprva se je vpisal na realko v Gorici. Tam je Veno obiskoval tudi pouk Otokarja Wohanke, kjer se je učil risati. V mestu se je seznanil tudi z Milanom Klemenčičem, pionirjem slovenskega lutkarstva, ki je postal eden njegovih prvih mentorjev, ki so ga uvedli v svet umetnosti ter knjig. V Gorici je spoznal tudi Lojzeta Spazzapana, Marija Kogoja in druge mlade intelektualce, ki so razmišljali sodobno in umetnostno progresivno. Ob nastopu prve velike vojne je z ustvarjanjem za nekaj časa prenehal. Štiri dni po maturi so ga mobilizirali v avstroogrsko vojsko.

Leta 1916 je Pilon padel v rusko ujetništvo. V tem času je nastal velik del akvarelov, s katerimi je dokumentiral vojni vsakdan in izrazil svojo notranjo občutljivost in likovno poglobljenost do izbrane tematike. Po koncu vojne se je vrnil v Ljubljano. Tam je nadaljeval s šolanjem. Leta 1919 je odpotoval v Prago, kjer se je srečal s številnimi slovenskimi intelektualci. Prijateljeval je z Božidarjem Jakcem, Ferdom Kozakom, Josipom Vidmarjem in Francem Mesesnelom. V češki prestolnici se je nagnil vse bolj k ekspresivni risbi in grafiki, ki sta beležili motive z vsakdana. Obiskal je tudi Firence in Dunaj, kjer se je ukvarjal predvsem z grafičnimi tehnikami in aktom.

Leta 1922 se je vrnil v Ajdovščino. V domači hiši si je uredil atelje in se v celoti posvetil oljnemu slikarstvu. To obdobje velja za najbolj plodovito fazo Pilonovega ustvarjanja. Izdelal je več slik krajine Vipavske doline s kubistično zasnovo, psihološko poglobljenih portretov in tihožitji. Po očetovi smrti je Pilon prevzel pekarno. To je vodil vse od odhoda v Pariz, leta 1928. Tam se je Pilon znašel v svobodnem, odprtem okolju. Sprva se je posvetil slikanju in risanju, nato pa se je vse bolj zanimal za fotografijo. V pariških letih je naslikal največ nadrealističnih tihožitji, občutljivih portretov, dokumentiral pa je tudi mestno življenje. Tam je spoznal tudi Anne-Marie Guichard, s katero se je poročil in si ustvaril družino. Med bivanjem po svetu se je Pilon pogosto vračal v domovino.

Leta 1947 je sodeloval pri snemanju filma Na svoji zemlji. Po smrti žene leta 1963 je počasi začel razmišljati o vrnitvi domov. Pariz je dokončno zapustil leta 1968, ko se je preselil nazaj v Ajdovščino. Zadnja leta življenja je posvetil predvsem pisanju, razstavljanju in zbiranju gradiva. Leta 1970 so Pilonu podelili Prešernovo nagrado za življenjsko delo. Njegova zapuščina je danes večinoma predstavljena v Pilonovi galeriji, ki jo je omogočila donacija njegovega sina Dominiquea.

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:
Karel DEŽMAN, s. v. Pilon, Veno, Enciklopedija likovnih umjetnosti, III, Zagreb 1964, pp. 677-678.
Luc MENAŠE, s. v. Pilon, Veno (1896-1970), Evropski umetnostnozgodovinski leksikon, Ljubljana, 1971, pp. 1641-1642.
Veno Pilon, Iz nove donacije Dominiqua Pilona, Ajdovščina 2021.
Življenjepis Vena Pilona na spletni strani Pilonove galerij, https://venopilon.com/ (11.11.2025).
Zdenka ŽIGON, Pilon Veno (1896-1970), Obrazi slovenskih pokrajin, Kranj 2020, https://www.obrazislovenskihpokrajin.si/oseba/pilon-veno/ (2.12.2012).

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