MARIJAN
NOVAK SLUNJSKI
ABSTRACTION
cover: No title #20 Š 2016 by Atelier Home Gallery All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artist concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any intringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication.
MARIJAN
NOVAK SLUNJSKI
ABSTRACTION
Curated by Matilde Tiriticco Atelier Home Gallery BRACERIE VENETE Via della Madonnina, 5 Trieste (Italy) 8 July 2 October 2016
LA BELLEZZA DEL GESTO Tracce di sé Matilde Tiriticco La prima volta che ho incontrato Marijan egli mi ha involontariamente spiegato in una sola frase la sua pittura, dicendomi: “a dire la verità, non volevo venire a vedere il luogo della mostra… perché durante questo lasso di tempo avrei potuto dipingere”. Slunjski vive per dipingere. La grande forza espressiva propria di Slunjski trova il modo di liberarsi nella pittura rendendo i suoi quadri dei veri e propri testimoni d’esistenza. Io esisto in quanto dipingo, la pittura invera e dà senso alla mia presenza nel mondo. Il contatto con la materia e l’empatia che l’artista prova per questi colori che il figurativismo vorrebbe stretti entro i limiti angusti del disegno sprigionano un’energia emozionale a cui è difficile rimanere immuni: travolto dal colore e dai movimenti ampi, generosi, che sembrano abbracciare l’Arte stessa, lo spettatore non può che prender parte a questo movimento vitale circoscritto che lo tocca e lo rimanda a qualcosa di aldilà della pura esperienza estetica. A tenere a bada quest’urgenza creativa ci pensa una pari padronanza delle tecniche del linguaggio pittorico, che possiamo individuare nei segni precisi e mai stucchevoli tracciati ora sulla tela ora sul cartone, con l’utilizzo del pennello e spatola o di più inusuali mezzi e materiali, come per esempio le sabbie delle grandi tele. Come accennavo prima nel gesto dell’abbraccio, tutti i lavori di Slunjski portano in nuce una componente dialettica, fra gli spazi pieni o vuoti, tra l’alto e il basso come inizio e punto d’arrivo di un segno, come il punto della goccia con lo sfondo di preparazione. La prima volta che ho visto le sue opere dal vivo, il primo stimolo sopraggiunto è stato quello della sete, il desiderio che questa vita sotto forma di colore contagiasse come un elisir di lunga vita, come il mare che travolge e sorregge a peso morto lontano dalla spiaggia, come una fontana che inumidisce l’atmosfera e fa intrevedere i colori dell’arcobaleno. Solo in un secondo momento ho desiderato avvicinarmi alle opere proprio come lui aveva fatto innanzitempo per creare il quadro. Il gesto, infatti, è colui che riesce a cambiare la superficie, a dirigere i lavori suggeriti dall’inconscio, a rendere visibile il concetto e l’emozione, ed in Slunjski il lavoro di traduzione (parla un po’ di tutto, qb) viaggia sempre ad un livello comunicativo efficace e che coinvolge tutti, rendendogli più che ben meritato l’epiteto di Artista.
The first time I met Marijan he unwittingly explained in one sentence his philosophy of painting, saying: “To tell the truth, I did not want to come to see the place of the show... because during this period of time I could have painted.” Marijan lives to paint. The largest of Novak’s expressive power finds a way to break free in the painting act making his artworks real witnesses of existence. I exist because I paint, the painting materializes and gives meaning to my presence in the world. The contact with matter and the empathy felt by the Artist for these colors that the figurative style would close within the narrow limits of the design emanate emotional energy to which it is difficult to stay immune: overwhelmed by the color and large movements, generous, that seem to embrace Art itself, the viewer can only take part in this vital circumscribed movement that is touching him and sends him to something beyond the pure aesthetic experience. To ward off this urgency to create he holds an equal mastery of the techniques of pictorial language, that we can identify in precise signs and cloying tracks now on the canvas now on board, with the use of the brush and spatula or more unusual tools and materials, such as for example the sands on the large canvases. As I mentioned earlier in the gesture of the embrace, all the works of Slunjski lead in essence a dialectic component, among the full or empty spaces, between the high and low as the start and end point of a sign, as the point of drop with the preparation of background. The first time I saw his works live, the first stimulus that came to me was thirst, desire that this life in the form of color would contaminate as an elixir of life, like the sea that overwhelms and sustains a dead weight away from the beach, like a fountain that moistens the atmosphere and makes glimpse the rainbow colors. Only later I wanted to get closer to the work as he had done before while creating the pictures. The gesture, in fact, is the one who manages to change the surface, to direct the unconscious suggested works, to make visible the concept and the emotion, and Slunjski in the translation work (he speak a bit ‘of everything) always run at an effective level of communication that involves everyone, making him more than deserved to receive the epithet of Artist.
“ I am a painter of
an old abstract art.
I exist to paint.
MARIJAN NOVAK SLUNJSKI
„
No title #16, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 60 x 80 cm
No title #17, 2015 Acrylic on plastic plate 60 x 80 cm
No title #7, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 100 cm
No title #22, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 80 x 60 cm
No title #18, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 80 x 60 cm
No title #20, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 60 x 80 cm
No title #15, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 80 x 60 cm
No title #9, 2014 Acrylic on canvas 200 x 100 cm
No title #3, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 120 x 80 cm
No title #6, 2016 Acrylic on plastic plate 120 x 80 cm
No title #12, 2015 Acrylic on plastic plate 80 x 60 cm
No title #19, 2015 Acrylic on plastic plate 80 x 60 cm
Marijan Novak Slunjski, 1962, after getting a degree in art education at the Zagreb Academy of Fine Arts, he continued his studies in Rome with painter Piero Pizzi Canelli and in Venice with master Emilo Vedova. On his artistic path he has met established artists and teachers, but above all he learned about art and explored it by visiting the world's galleries, reading academic literature, fiction, poetry and art magazines, and by continuously observing and studying everything in depth. Thus he has developed his own style, which is not dictated by trends, but by his mission that materializes in the moment when the painter touches the canvas. Since 1988 he has been exhibiting regularly; he has participated in numerous group exhibitions, art colonies and performances. His paintings are in permanent collections in Slovenia and abroad. For his work he has received numerous awards and commendations. Exhibitions - selection • Berlin (2000) • Frankfurt (permanent exhibition) • Zagreb (2001) • Bratislava (2006) • Bologna (2006) • Padua (2006, 2007) • New York (2009, 2010) • Kranj, Layerjeva hiša (maj 2016) • London • Madrid • Roma
Art colonies - selection • Art meeting Severia Koper (2007) • the 12th Križanke International Art Colony (2009) • the 7th Skopje International Art Colony (2012) Performances - selection • the Museum of the City of Skopje; Novak Slunjski, Simonida Filipova Kitanovska and Toni Kitanovski (2012) • Verona • Padua • Siena • Graz Cooperations - selection • Antonio Maras (2008) • Esad Babačić and Via Ofenziva (2013) Awards - selection • Prize for the Best Art Work at the International Painting Extempore in Croatia (2000) • Prize for the Best Abstract Art Work at the International Painting Extempore in Grožnjan (2000) • 1st prize at the Artmeeting in Padua (2001) • the Best Abstract Art Work in the opinion of the international panel of experts at the International Painting Extempore in Bratislava (2006) • the Best Work in the opinion of the international panel of experts at the International Painting Extempore in Udine (2006) • Symphony of abstract art in Movimento per la cooperazione creativa onlus
ATELIER HOME GALLERY Atelier Home Gallery organizes exhibitions and happenings at the historical home of a family of two artists, Roberto del Frate and Roberta de Jorio, presenting contemporary artists to investigate how artworks fit in a living space that has a more intimate feeling. Inside this living space there are two different realities: the gallery (hosting art exhibitions and industrial design showcases) and the Atelier of Roberto del Frate, where the painter gives life to his artistic visions. This “home gallery� is located at the third floor of the majestic Panfili Palace, built at the end of the XIX Century from the Panfili family, characterized by his amusing big spaces with a historic atmosphere. Going beyond the normal reach of a gallery, it offers painting courses, psychoanalytic talks, music events, video screenings and enogastronomic experiences.
contacts: Matilde Tiriticco, Gallery Manager +39 3489278461 m.tiriticco@atelierhomegallery.org atelierhomegallery.org
where: Palazzo Panfili Via della Geppa, 2 Trieste (Italy)
opening hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday 6 - 8pm Or by appointment info@atelierhomegallery.org