The painting depicts the first wife of the writer Alojz Gradnik - Mira Gradnik (born Potokar), and their son Sergej, 5 years old, born in 1924. The painter's stroke in this work is picturesque and pasty, but not as strong as it becomes after a year 1935. Even the coatings are not yet masonry, but it is already clear that the painter took over the paint and its expressed power. The boy's white clothes shine brightly lit, and the glow of the red fabric corresponds to the whiteness. The light seems so strong that it almost spills in shades of white over her mother's knee and her blue dress that the color of the gray pantyhose penetrates even into her, light-presented parts of the dress. The colors white, blue and red may have seemed patriotic, and it was also possible to hide the intention of the painter, who portrayed the wife and son of an important man for the Slovenian public. But first and foremost, it was an almost experienced color. Of particular interest is the use of red, reminiscent of Venetian Baroque masters and emphasizing the representativeness of the atmosphere. The composition is free, as it consists of diagonals - the diagonal of the mother's body (and blue) and the diagonal of the red fabric hung over the chair. The free composition brings a lot of dynamics to the painting, which is further emphasized by the posture of both depictions. The woman is sitting, but the twists of her body speak of movement, the latter clearly visible in the boy, who is leaning on his mother's knee, but is already ready to run to the other end of the room. The boy's youthful playfulness is also shown with the help of colors, as the symbolic meaning of white is tied to innocence, immaculateness, purity. You can define blue in a mother’s dress as a symbol of wisdom, red as a symbol of love that connects mother and son. The painting makes a strong impression on the viewer - not only because of the dimensions and sophisticated technique, but also because of the views of both characters. They both look directly at us. Above all, the boy's gaze is exceptional - his blue eyes are illuminated with light - an angelic gaze that reaches straight into the soul (Dr. Ines Babnik).
For more information on the artwork, click on the desired category below (Dimensions, Year of origin, Media, Technique, Style, Full description, Inscription).
