(8.9.1925, Ljubljana – 2.9.2007, Ljubljana)
Štefan Planinc is one of the greatest Slovenian artists who devoted himself to fantastic visions and surrealist themes. He is also known as a master of book illustration. Štefan was interested in art from a young age. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in a teacher training college, and then began studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana.
He graduated there in 1954, and then attended a class with Marijo Pregelj. After completing his education, he spent most of his time as an illustrator. He prepared his images for newspapers, magazines and books, and also worked as an assistant professor at the Ljubljana Academy. He later became a full professor of painting there and remained there until his retirement in 1985. Štefanc Planinc was a completely unique artist. He established himself as a recognized surrealist, and he also drew motifs from the subconscious, fantasy and dreams. This artistic direction was initially brought to Slovenian soil by Stane Kregar, but in Štefan's compositions, objects from a specific political moment can be detected.
Planinc was considered an artist who was constantly climbing the mountain of imagination. He was interested in the subconscious, and on this basis he combined the real with the fantastic. In Planinc's works, objects are painted almost too realistically. He arranged them in unusual compositions or juxtaposed them in an unusual relationship with other objects. It is a kind of poetic surrealism that invites the visitor into a mysterious, fantastic world. He was one of the members of the Be-54 group, which was not united by a common expression but was mostly composed of students of the Ljubljana Academy who enrolled in it in 1951. Together with them, he participated in several group exhibitions, where post-war Slovenian artists who were looking for their own style presented themselves.
In 1973, he joined Group 69, which aimed to achieve higher standards in art. During this time, he also created several cycles. He achieved the greatest reputation among them with Prasvet, but among the others we can also find Ceste and Zoon politikon. Earthy and vivid colors dominate his expression. Planinc was also prolific as an illustrator for children and youth. He is the recipient of three Levstik Awards, and the Prešeren Fund Award in 1965. He was also awarded the Župančič Award, and soon after, the Jakopič Award. Former President Borut Pahor awarded him the Order of Merit in 2015.
He exhibited his works in more than 40 solo exhibitions, and a few years before his death, he donated as many as 600 illustrations and paintings to the Carinthian Gallery of Fine Arts in Slovenj Gradec. The donation includes 134 paintings on canvas, 274 works on paper and 195 original book illustrations. The gallery has also published a comprehensive catalogue with an analysis of his creative work. He left behind a rich oeuvre that has strongly marked Slovenian art culture and book illustration, and is still considered an important source of inspiration, encouraging young artists to pursue fantastic art.
Štefan Planinc je eden največjih slovenskih umetnikov, ki so se posvetili fantastičnim vizijam in nadrealistični tematiki. Poznamo ga tudi kot mojstra knjižne ilustracije. Štefan se je za umetnost zanimal že v mladosti. Po končani maturi se je vpisal na učiteljišče, nato pa je pričel s študijem slikarstva na Akademiji za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani.
Tam je leta 1954 tudi diplomiral, nato pa je obiskoval še krožek pri Mariju Preglju. Po končanem izobraževanju se je večino časa preživljal kot illustrator. Svoje podobe je pripravil za časopise, revije in knjige, deloval pa je tudi kot docent na ljubljanski Akademiji. Kasneje je tam postal redni profesor slikarstva in na njej ostal vse do upokojitve leta 1985. Štefanc Planinc je bil povsem samosvoj umetnik. Uveljavil se je kot priznani nadrealist, motive pa je črpal tudi iz podzavesti, fantazije in sanj. To likovno usmeritev je na slovenska tla sprva pripeljal Stane Kregar, le da je pri Štefanu v kompozicijah mogoče zaznati predmete iz konkretnega političnega trenutka.
Planinc je veljal za umetnika, ki naj bi se ves čas vzpenjal po gori domišljije. Zanimal se je za podzavest, na podlagi te pa je združil realno s fantastičnim. V delih Planinca so predmeti naslikani skoraj da preveč realistično. Te je nanizal v nenavadne kompozicije ali pa jih je sopostavil v neobičajen odnos z drugimi predmeti. Gre za nekakšen poetični nadrealizem, ki obiskovalca vabi v skrivnosten, fantastičen svet. Bil je eden izmed članov skupine Be-54, ki je ni povezoval skupen izraz ampak so v njej večinoma delovali študenti ljubljanske Akademije, ki so se vanjo vpisali leta 1951. Skupaj z njimi je sodeloval na več skupinskih razstavah, kjer so se predstavili povojni slovenski umetniki, ki so iskali lasten slog.
Leta 1973 se je včlanil v Grupo 69, ki je stremela k večjim kriterijem v umetnosti. V tem času je ustvaril tudi več ciklov. Največji ugled med njimi je dosegel s Prasvetom, v sklopu ostalih pa najdemo tudi Ceste in Zoon politikon. V njegovem izrazu prevladujejo zemeljske in žive barve. Planinc je bil plodovit tudi kot ilustrator za otroke in mladino. Je prejemnik treh Levstikovih nagrad, ter priznanja Prešernovega sklada, leta 1965. Podelili so mu tudi Župančičevo nagrado, kmalu za tem pa še Jakopičevo. Nekdanji predsednik Borut Pahor mu je leta 2015 podelil red za zasluge.
Svoja dela je razstavil na več kot 40 samostojnih postavitvah, kar 600 ilustracij in slik pa je nekja let pred smrtjo podaril Koroški galeriji likovnih umetnosti v Slovenj Gradcu. Donacija obsega 134 slik na platnu, 274 del na papirju in 195 originalnih knjižnih ilustracij. Galerija je izdala tudi celostni katalog z analizo njegovega ustvarjalnega opusa. Za seboj je pustil bogat opus, ki je močno zaznamoval slovensko likovno kulturo in knjižno ilustracijo, še danes pa velja za pomemben vir navdiha, ki mlade umetnike spodbuja k fantastični umetnosti.
All the artists on the Porta Alpina website can be found at this link.
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 Štefan Planinc »samotni jezdec na krilih domišljije«, RTV SLO, 4.9.2017, https://www.rtvslo.si/kultura/razstave/umrl-je-stefan-planinc-samotni-jezdec-na-krilih-domisljije/431685, (17.11.2025).
Boštjan TEMNIKER, BE-54, Pojmovnik slovenske umetnosti po letu 1945, 2007, pp. 22-25.
Uredništvo, Fantastična umetnost, Pojmovnik slovenske umetnosti po letu 1945, 2007, pp. 45-49.
Uredništvo, Grupa 69, Pojmovnik slovenske umetnosti po letu 1945, 2007, pp. 80-83.
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