marija lucija stupica
1950–2002
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marija lucija stupica
1950–2002
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lucijin hortus conclusus
JUDITA KRIVEC DR AGAN
Knjižni ilustraciji pripada v slovenski likovni umetnosti dvajsetega stoletja nadvse pomembno mesto, saj je ob uveljavljanju modernih tokov v slikarstvu med bralci knjig ustvarila nekaj izjemnih, mednarodno prepoznavnih umetniških opusov. Eden njih pripada Mariji Luciji Stupica in njenemu edinstvenemu svetu pravljic, ki hranijo vso patino stoletij, obenem pa se gostoljubno odpirajo sodobniku, v bistvenih življenjskih preizkušnjah nič drugačnemu od davnih prednikov. Umaknjena onkraj vsakdanje banalne stvarnosti v prostor in čas, ustvarjena le po meri brezmejne umetničine domišljije, spominjajo na srednjeveški hortus conclusus – ograjen vrt z Devico Marijo ali samorogom, ki so ga kot najprimernejšo prispodobo vedno znova v zgodovini odkrivali umetniki-liriki, zagledani v osebni, intimni svet. Ni slučaj, da ji je bilo blizu prav devetnajsto stoletje z vsemi nasprotji in s svetoboljem, ki je njeno likovno izpoved povezalo ne le s skrbno izbrano literaturo tistega časa, temveč tudi s slikarji-ilustratorji danes klasičnih pravljic in z mojstri introvertiranih vizij svoje dobe kakršen je bil romantični umetnik K. D. Friedrich. V opustelih nabrežjih in nedosegljivih pogorjih je razkrival trpek in samoten, čeprav čudežno lep svet kozmosa, ki se za usodo posameznika komaj meni. Tudi Marija Lucija Stupica je v zrcalu, ki ga je nastavljala svojemu času, uspela ujeti tankočutne, včasih do neznosnosti ranljive, a čudežno lepe osebe, nič bolj brezčasne, kot jih odsevajo kričave poosebitve genius saeculi na uglednih razstavah sodobne umetnosti. Svoj umetniški izraz bi torej lahko našla tudi v vrsti danes bolj izpostavljenih likovnih področij, a odločila se je za ilustracijo, v kateri je nadaljevala tradicijo filigransko izbrušene in metjejsko odlične slikarske sopotnice nepozabnim svetovnim pripovedim, pri tem pa razkrivala njihovo drugo, senčno stran. Saj ne, da ne bi marala sonca, a svoje porcelanasto krhke deklice in otožne mladeniče je pred njegovimi močnimi in slepečimi žarki raje varno zastrla z otožnim oblačnim nebom, s težkimi žametnimi zavesami, ali še raje, odevala s skrivnostnim plaščem noči. Marija Lucija Stupica je vedno skrbno izbirala besedila, nadvse je cenila domišljijo in prefinjen, včasih jedek humor, verjela je, da imajo pra4
ve pravljice poleg vesele in dobre tudi drugo plat – žalost in zlo,
nepogrešljiv šarm pa jim daje tudi srhljivost. In otroci imajo radi pustolovščine in strah. Zato je rada slikala Grimmove, Hoffmannove in Andersenove pravljice, posebej ljuba pa ji je bila Bürgerjeva balada Lenora, kjer je lahko upodobila dramatičen svet strastnih čustev, zloslutnih podzavestnih prividov in vročičnih blodenj obupane mladenke, ki ji smrt ugrabi ljubega. Umetnost, ki lahko po F. Nietzscheju edina porazi neizbežno krutost življenja, se tudi s to filigransko risbo v žametni paleti barv tihotapi v velike slikanice namenjene otrokom, v poezijo in zgodbe za vse ostale, da navdušeno pripoveduje o čudežih na svetu. Posebej tistih v decembru, ko ljudje v dolgih večerih pričakujejo praznike in so bližje drug drugemu kot med letom. Takrat je čas za sanjarjenje in pravljice. Lesketajoče in pričakovanj polne adventne večere, ki so ustvarili eno najlepših božičnih pripovedi o Hrestaču, je imela Marija Lucija najraje. Nanje je s posebnim hrepenenjem čakala vse leto.
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marija lucija stupica and her hortus conclusus
JUDITA KRIVEC DR AGAN
Book illustration holds a very special place in the Slovenian fine arts of the 20th century. While modern approaches were adopted in painting, a couple of exceptional, internationally recognisable oeuvres have been created in this field. One of them is Marija Lucija Stupica with her unique world of fairy tales which hold all venerability of the centuries and, at the same time, welcome the present that is not much different in essential life ordeals than the distant past. Removed from the everyday banal reality to the space and time which are created only by the boundless author’s imagination, these illustrations remind us of the medieval hortus conclusus – the enclosed garden with the Virgin Mary or a unicorn. Throughout history, this was one of the favourite metaphors of artists-lyrists who focused on their intimate world. It is no coincidence, that Stupica was so fond of the 19th century in particular, with all of its contrasts and world-weariness that associated her artistic expression not only with the carefully selected literature of that time but also with painters-illustrators of fairy tale classics and masters of introvert visions of the period such as the romantic artist K. D. Friedrich. His desolated shores and unreachable mountain chains reflected a miraculously beautiful universe, both lonesome and bitter, barely noticing the human and their destiny. In reflections of her time, Marija Lucija Stupica never failed to depict deeply sensitive personalities, at times unbearably vulnerable but also strikingly beautiful. They are timeless as much as any garish personification of the genius saeculi at esteemed contemporary art exhibitions. She could find her artistic expression in a number of fine arts fields which are more prominent today, but she decided for illustration. Here, she continued the tradition of creating painting companions to unforgettable world tales, which are highly sophisticated and excellent in the metier, but also recognisable for their other, darker side. Not that she would not like the sun, but she always preferred to protect her fragile girls and gloomy young men from its strong and blinding beams. She put them under dark gloomy skies, draped by heavy velvet curtains, or even better, she covered them in the mysterious coat of the night. Marija 6
Lucija Stupica always selected her texts carefully, appreciating im-
agination and refined sense of humour, at times bitter as well. She believed that there is also the other side to fairy tales beside joy and kindness, and that is sorrow and evil. Eeriness is another charm not to be missed, for children love adventures and fear. This is why she loved painting fairy tales written by Grimm, Hoffmann and Andersen. One of her favourites was the ballad Lenore by Bßrger where she could depict the dramatic world of her passionate feelings, ominous subconscious illusions and feverish delusions of a desperate young girl who just lost her beloved to death. As F. Nietzsche once said, only art could defeat the inevitable cruelty of life. It is art in this delicate drawing with a soft range of colours that quietly enters large picture books for children as well as poetry and stories for everyone else to tell the enthusiastic story about the miracles of this world. Particularly about the miracles of December when people await holidays in the long evenings and are brought together more closely than in other months of the year. This is the time for daydreaming and fairy tales. Glittery advent evenings filled with expectation which created one of the loveliest Christmas tales, the Nutcracker, were Marija Lucija’s favourite. She awaited them all year long with a special longing.
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Hans Christian Andersen MALA MORSKA DEKLICA / THE LITTLE MERMAID 1986
popoln mir in komaj obvladano vznemirjenje*
NADJA ZGONIK
Včasih ti odplava domišljija, da si zamisliš zgodbo, ki bi se lahko razvila iz dogodka, v katerem si se nepričakovano znašel. Drugič sanjariš in z mislimi potuješ po olepšanih svetovih ali v domišljiji osebam, ki ti grenijo življenje, rišeš vragove rožičke in grde, pretegnjene jezike. Z besedo, ki ti nepričakovano zdrsne z jezika, se znajdeš v smešni zadregi nepričakovanega razkritja tvoje notranje skrivnosti. V vseh teh situacijah se prizori v tvoji domišljiji izrisujejo v podobah. Domišljijsko odpotovanje v svet podob ne pomeni zgolj bega od resničnosti, ki je prozaična in neizpolnjujoča. Če bi imeli opraviti le z željo po vplivanju na resničnost, s slo po maščevanju in osredotočenostjo na zamišljen cilj, ki bi zahteval realno izpolnitev, bi to bila slikovna magija, v kateri bi si pomagali z uroki. Svet domišljijskih podob je avtonomen. Tudi če spodbuda zanj prihaja iz resničnosti, podobe povratno nanj nimajo več vpliva. Tako ustvarjen svet je svet misli in duševnega doživljanja, ki je vzpostavljen kot prostor, kjer se notranji konflikti s premišljevanjem lahko razrešijo. To je mogoče le zato, ker je domišljija v nenehnem stiku s snovjo resničnega življenja prav prek podob. Stik med zgodbami življenja in podobami, ki si jih riše domišljija, je podoben vezi med besedili pravljic ter zgodb in njihovimi ilustracijami. Ko ugotavljamo, da misli in dogodki vzpodbujajo razraščanje podob, so knjižna besedila prav tak vzgib, da se začne snovanje podob v ilustratorjevi ustvarjalni domišljiji. Značilnost zveze med besedili in podobami je, da se sporočilo besedilne pripovedi odlepi od zgodbe in si nadene identiteto meta-teksta, ki šele išče jezik, naj bo ta zapisani, govorjeni ali pa likovni. Zato smo lahko v dvomu, če je med naštetimi sploh mogoče določiti pravega nosilca zgodbe, in če je upravičeno vzpostavljati vrednotenjska razmerja med posameznimi ravnmi izraza. Vsaka od diskurzivnih možnosti že sama zase izpolni nalogo pripovedovanja zgodbe v celoti. Vendar ni namen zgodb in pravljic le v tem, da posredujejo pripoved. Zasnovane so bile tako, da je – če naj jih dojamemo v vsem njihovem bogastvu – mogoče in potrebno iz njih izluščiti nek globlji smisel. Otrok si želi vnovič in vnovič poslušati isto pripoved. Ne naveliča se pravljice, čeprav njeno vsebino že tako dobro pozna, da sam ve,
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kako se bo odvijal tok dogodkov. V njegovem notranjem doživljanju pripovedi ga ne zanima le sledenje nizu narativnih scen. Svoje misli gosti ob razmišljanju o globljem pomenu pripovednih prizorov. Otrok se uči vrednotiti dogodke. Razločuje med dobrimi in slabimi junaki zgodbe, premišljuje o težavah, ki jih mora izbrani junak premagati, da bo dosegel osebnostno izpolnitev in nagrado, o družbenih vrednotah in pravičnosti ter srečni prihodnosti, ki čaka vsakogar, ki bo skozi preizkušnje odrasel v zrelo in celovito osebnost. Bruno Bettelheim je v svojem delu Rabe čudežnega1 ugotavljal, da ima zgodba, ki jo nekdo pripoveduje, za otroka povsem drug pomen od besedila, ki ga preberemo, ne da bi se vanj čustveno vživeli. Šele ob živi pripovedi se v narativni niz lahko vpletejo osebnostni vidiki pripovedovalca. Zaradi tega je treba otroku pravljice pripovedovati in ne brati, če naj le dosežejo svoj cilj, da se vzpostavijo kot ustvarjeni svet otrokove osebne domišljije. Potrebno je torej čustveno angažirano podajati pripoved, poustvarjati razpoloženja iz zgodbe, junake oblikovati v psihološko izrazite like ter dramaturško izostriti pomen zapletov. Ilustriranje pravljičnih motivov bi lahko imenovali za enega od vidikov osebnega podajanja pripovedi. Likovna interpretacija s kompleksnostjo lastnega izraza, v kateri se združuje pripovedna moč črte s čustvenim učinkovanjem barve, omogoči posebej tesen stik med otrokovim ter pravljičnim svetom domišljije. Zato so pravi ilustratorji snovalci novih zgodb, ki tečejo v ozadju literarizirane pripovedi. »Pravljica je abecednik, iz katerega se otrok uči razbirati svojo duševnost v jeziku podob, se pravi edinem jeziku, ki ga razume, preden doseže intelektualno zrelost. Otrok mora biti izpostavljen temu jeziku in se mora naučiti odzivati nanj, če naj postane gospodar svoje duše,« je zapisal Bruno Bettelheim. 2 Zaradi tega je izraz »oblikovalka motivov«, ki ga je uporabil
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Bruno Bettelheim, Rabe čudežnega. O pomenu pravljic (prev. Jana Unuk), Ljubljana 1999. Knjiga je v izvirniku nosila naslov The Uses of Enchantment. Meaning and importance of Fairy Tales in je izšla v New Yorku leta 1975. 2 Bettelheim, Rabe…, nav. delo., str. 227.
Niko Grafenauer, ko je opredelil ustvarjalno-eksistenčno pozicijo ilustratorke Marije Lucije Stupica, označujoč pojem, ki opredeljuje, da so podobe, ki jih slikarka ustvarja za knjige, kot na nov način izpisana stara besedila. Postavlja se vprašanje o identiteti te nove, v vidno preložene predstavitve besedila. Kaj se v njej dogaja, kar jo dela drugačno – ali zato res tudi avtonomno? – od starega pomena pravljičnega dela? Ena najbolj srhljivih metafor za sugestivnost izmišljene podobe, ki jo izrišeta razum in domišljija, je lik Olimpije iz E. T. A. Hoffmannovega Peščenega moža. 3 V pripovedki o mladostniškem zorenju se zaplet izriše ob Natanaelovi prevzetosti s človeškim avtomatom, lepo lutko Olimpijo, ki jo je temačni izumitelj izdelal kot živo, če ne resničnejšo od žive. Natanaelu se je namreč zdela bolj vredna ljubezni od njegove človeško čuteče Klare. Olimpija ga je prevzemala s svojo popolno, brezhibno lepoto, z razumevanjem, ki mu ga je izkazovala s tem, da je vedno prikimavala njegovim mislim in neizmerno potrpežljivostjo, saj ga je bila pripravljena poslušati ure in ure dolgo. Ko je Klara, ki je bila vseskozi razumevajoča do Natanaela in njegovih deviantnih fantazij, želela razložiti razmerje med skrivnostnim in temačnim ter svetlim, prazničnim in v življenjsko veselje usmerjenim občutjem, kar je bilo kot nasprotje razčlenjeno in razbito v Natanaelovi, pa uravnoteženo v Klarini duši, je v svojem pismu Natanaelu zapisala besede, s katerimi bi lutko lahko nagovoril Natanael: »V to hladno dušo ne seže noben žarek skrivnostnega, ki človeka dostikrat oklepa z nevidnimi rokami; ona zagleda samo pisano površje sveta in se kakor otročje dete veseli zlato bleščečega se sadeža, ki v notranjosti skriva smrtonosen strup!« 4 Zato je Klara v navideznem dialogu ugovarjala Natanaelu, če ne verjame, »da bi lahko tudi v vedrih – sproščenih – srcih prebivala
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Pripovedko, naslovljeno Der Sandmann (Peščeni mož) je E. T. A. Hoffmann uvrščal pod posebno literarno obliko, imenovano nokturno. Izšla je v zbirki Nachtstücke leta 1817 v Berlinu. V slovenskem jeziku je bil Peščeni mož prvič objavljen leta 1996 v E. T. A. Hoffmann. Pripovedke, Založba Mladinska knjiga, v prevodu Katarine Bogataj - Gradišnik. 4 Hoffmann, Peščeni…, nav. delo, str. 15.
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slutnja o neki temni sili, ki si sovražno prizadeva, da bi nas ugonobila prav v našem lastnem bitju?« 5 Klara je vedela, da gre za obstoječ notranji konflikt, ki ga je potrebno razrešiti. »Če obstaja temna sila, ki prav sovražno in izdajalsko vdene v našo notranjost nit, s katero nas zgrabi in odvleče po nevarnosti polni pogubni poti, na katero sicer nikdar ne bi stopili – če obstaja taka sila, tedaj se mora razvijati v nas tako, kakor se razvijamo mi sami, postati mora celo del nas samih; samo tako namreč vanjo verjamemo in ji dodelimo tisti prostor, ki ga potrebuje, da dokonča tisto skrivnostno delovanje. Če imamo dovolj trdnega, z življenjsko vedrino okrepljenega duha, da tuje sovražno učinkovanje vselej spoznamo kot tako in z mirnim korakom stopamo po poti, na katero sta nas postavila nagnjenje in poklic, tedaj tista grozljiva podoba gotovo propade v neuspešnem boju za stvaritev, ki naj bi postala naša lastna ogledalna podoba.« 6 Hoffmannovski svet in svet ilustracij Marije Lucije Stupica imata nekaj skupnega. Brezbrežna imaginacija, občutek za krhkost sveta ter zavest, da so poleg predmetov krhki tudi ljudje in odnosi med njimi, ter strah in otožnost, ki vejeta iz tega spoznanja, nas prestavljajo v isti svet domišljije. Iz miselne zasnove ilustracij Marije Lucije Stupica se nas dotika kot od nekod iz daljne preteklosti, ki pa nam je prav domača, romantični duh. Njene podobe nas najprej zasanjajo, da nas mehko prestavijo v svet domišljije, zgrajen do potankosti. V njem ne umanjka nič, kar je od našega resničnega sveta. Osebe, rastline, živali, predmeti, vsi nosijo ista imena in atribute kot v stvarnosti. Vendar sta odločujoča njihova razpostavitev in izbor. Ob pogledu na naslikano prizorišče nam je v hipu jasno, da so vsi akterji, ki nastopajo v prizoru, skrbno in natančno izbrani samo zato, da nas povedejo v zgodbo. Ker so tudi predmeti lahko dramske osebe, jim je potrebno na slikah izdelati prizorišča, ki so kot odrske
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6
Prav tam. Prav tam.
inscenacije za prizore. Ko mislimo na Andersenovo Pastirico in dimnikarja iz leta 1984 ter Hoffmannovega Hrestača in Mišjega kralja iz leta 1996 v poustvaritvi Marije Lucije Stupica, imamo pred očmi ogolela prizorišča, ki se zdijo kot obrabljene odrske deske, na katerih je na nek nenavaden način zbrana celotna gledališka izkušnja. Umetnica nam jih pripravlja zato, da osameli lik, ukleščen v zamrznjen slikarski izraz, lahko oživi, tako kot v otroški domišljiji oživljajo najljubše igrače. Govorimo o animizmu, veri, da se v predmetih skriva duša, ki je glavna pogonska sila pravljičnega sveta, in zato hkrati tudi tisti svet, ki ga ne more obiti ilustratorjeva domišljija. Če primerjamo notranjo razdvojenost nastopajočih v ilustracijah Marije Lucije Stupica z določenim trenutkom iz preteklosti, se znajdemo v času največjega preloma zahodne civilizacije iz srednjega v novi vek. Na eni strani misticizem, na drugi racionalizem (lahko bi govorili tudi o razlomu med ideali in nelepo stvarnostjo). Ta razlika je prav taka kot pretres v umetnosti, ko ni bilo več mogoče uporabljati preživetih obrazcev poznega srednjega veka in so slikarje prisilile v uporabo nove, racionalne umetniške sheme, kot je na primer načelo centralne, znanstvene perspektive. Zato bi govorili o primerjavah s Fra Angelicom, ali morda še bolje z Vittorejem Carpacciom. Ko si zamišljamo njegovega beneškega Svetega Jurija v boju z zmajem, vidimo izpraznjeno prizorišče, ki ga oživljajo strašljivi fragmenti razkosanih telesih, lobanj, kosti. Nerodovitna pokrajina poganja grozo. Perspektive odkruška mesta bežijo vstran. Princesa je le stranska vertikala slike. Spopad in s tem vrhunec drame se dogaja v praznem središču. Praznina nas vznemirja in pušča v dvomu o razrešitvi konflikta bolj kot bi nas izostritev prizora na udarec s sulico. Tudi v ilustracijah Marije Lucije Stupica ostaja prostor za dvom. Negotovost, v kateri nas puščajo prizorišča, v katerih je malo predmetov – seveda, nobeden odveč – torej so navidezno izpraznjena, zato da se nas lahko vsak od njih dotika s svojimi pomeni, ostaja vedno prisotna in nas vznemirja. Ni končnega odgovora o vsebini dela. Tudi perspektive z različnimi očišči nas zavajajo. Centralna točka pogleda se skrije nekam za rob slike.
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Ilustracije oživljajo teksture. Marija Lucija Stupica se poglablja v površine, bodisi nevtralnih ozadij, ki jih pikturalno bogati, posveča se draperijam, strukturam snovi, da taktilno obogati naslikani prizor. Zato tudi prepletenost korenin v gozdu, zapletenost drevesnih vej in morskega rastlinja tako v Rdeči kapici bratov Grimm iz leta 1999 kot v Andersenovi Morski deklici iz leta 1986, kjer lahko gre za pridajanje skritih pomenov svetu prav trde resničnosti, pravzaprav spominja na zapleteno notranje doživljanje sveta. Ilustracije Marije Lucije Stupica so polne vznemirjenja. Tega v sestavo podob prispeva zavest, da nekaj ni v redu, da je svet, ki se na prvi pogled kaže urejen, popoln, v katerem vse teče po večnostnem ustaljenem redu, da se je prav v tem svetu pritajila za lepo, bleščečo podobo boleča skrivnost. Gre za hrepenenje po tem, da se dotihotapimo do rešitve skrivnosti – sicer dobro vemo, kako boleče je spoznanje – pa nas vseeno neustavljivo mika dotikati se z njim. Za skritost, oddaljenost, odmaknjenost in truda polno doseganje spoznanja je treba segati v oddaljene, težko dostopne kraje. Zato se kot metafora za ta naš trud lahko uveljavi v čas odmaknjena preteklost. Ilustracije Marije Lucije Stupica so vedno, hkrati s tem da so vez z zgodbo, tudi stik s svetom, kot je nekoč bil. Po eni strani se zdijo ponovitev romantičnega postopka, ko je umetnik želel zbežati pred resničnostjo. Vendar gre v tem primeru za funkcionalno rabo umika, saj ga lahko razberemo kot utelesitev zamisli o obstoju skritega ter varnega in ustvarjalnega prostora domišljije. S svojo zamaknjenostjo v preteklost so ilustracije Marije Lucije Stupica jasen znak o umiku pred sodobnim svetom v tisti čas, ki je še dopuščal možnost bega, ter imel skrivnostne, odmaknjene prostore za drugi, nujni dopolnjujoči del resničnosti. Zato so njene ilustracije kot označevalke poti, ki te popelje najprej v odmaknjen čas preteklosti, da bi se v njem lahko utopil v skrivnostnem svetu domišljije. Poleg sveta, ki je sestavljen iz dobre in slabe polovice, so v pravljicah oživljeni predmeti tisti nastopajoči, ki v zgodbah odigrajo glavno vlogo. Z mitom o ustvaritvi človeka-avtomata iz Peščenega moža lahko primerjamo ustvarjanje nadomestne resničnosti, 14
ki nastaja v svetu zapisanih pravljic, te pa si nadevajo oblike nas-
likanih podob. Vemo, da je skozi zgodovino bila podobi pripisana prav posebna moč. Čaščenje podob in njihovo uničevanje pričata o velikem pomenu, ki ga nosi slika, seveda ne sama na sebi kot snov in odslikava prizora iz resničnosti, pač pa kot nosilka pomenov. »Verjemi, da Ti te tuje podobe nič ne morejo; samo vera v njihovo sovražno moč lahko naredi, da Ti bodo zares sovražne,« piše Klara Natanaelu.7 Moč domišljijskih podob, ki najde svojo najpodobnejšo obliko v sliki, je silovita. Če verjameš vanjo, se bodo iz nje v domišljiji zarisale najresničnostnejše podobe, v katerih boš lahko rasel, izživel strahove ter usmerjal upanja in hrepenenja. 8 Srhljivost, ki se vpleta v racionalno družbo, je subverzivna. Otroku kaže možnost, da obstaja onstran hitre zadovoljitve želje, ki se uresniči z materialistično izpolnitvijo v direktni izrabi užitka, tudi svet, kjer prek zapletene pa tudi konfliktne notranje rasti, doživiš globlje zadovoljstvo. Strašnost in mir sta to, zadoščenje, pobeg in tolažba, privlačnost srha, ker vemo, da nas na koncu te premagane poti čakata pomiritev ter sreča.
7
Hoffmann, Peščeni…, nav. delo, str. 16. »Da lahko otrok obvlada psihološke probleme odraščanja – premaga narcistična razočaranja, ojdipske stiske, tekmovalnost med brati in sestrami, se odreče otroškim odvisnostim, doseže občutek samostojnosti in lastne vrednosti ter si izoblikuje občutek za moralno dolžnost – mora najprej razumeti, kaj se dogaja v zavestnem delu njegove duševnosti, šele potem lahko obvladuje tudi tisto, kar se dogaja v njegovem nezavednem. Tega razumevanja in z njim zmožnosti obvladovanja ne more doseči z racionalnim spoznavanjem narave in vsebine lastnega nezavednega, temveč se z njim seznani prek dnevnih sanjarjenj. Na nezavedne pritiske se odziva tako, da razmišlja o ustreznih elementih zgodbe, jih premešča in o njih fantazira. S tem umešča nezavedno vsebino v zavestne fantazije, ki mu potem omogočajo, da se z njo ukvarja. Neprecenljiva vrednost pravljic je v tem, da dajejo otrokovi domišljiji nove razsežnosti, ki jih sam ne bi mogel odkriti, in kar je še pomembnejše, oblika in struktura pravljic otroku nudita podobe, s katerimi lahko strukturira svoja dnevna sanjarjenja in z njimi bolje usmerja življenje.« Bettelheim, Rabe…, nav. delo, str. 11–12. * Besedilo je bilo napisano za razstavo ilustracij Marije Lucije Stupica v Galeriji Miklova hiša v Ribnici leta 2001, ki je zatem gostovala v Galeriji Murska Sobota, naslednje leto pa v Mestni galeriji Piran. Razstava je bila prvi retrospektivni pregled njenega ustvarjanja v letih od 1981 do 2000, ki sva ga pripravili ilustratorka in avtorica besedila. Zaradi njene zgodnje smrti leta 2002 je ostal edini, pri katerem je sodelovala. Besedilo je bilo z naslovom Ilustratorski svet Marije Lucije Stupice kot svet zapletene mladostne notranje rasti objavljeno v knjigi Nadja Zgonik, Študije iz slovenskega modernizma po letu 1945 , Ljubljana 2010, str. 185–194. 8
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absolute peace and barely mastered excitement *
NADJA ZGONIK
When in the daytime your imagination glides and you think of a story developing from an event you’ve accidentally been part of. When you daydream and project your thoughts through adorned worlds. When you draw, in your fantasy, the Devil’s horns and nasty stretched-out tongues to people who annoy you and aggravate your life. When you find yourself ridiculously perplexed after a sudden disclosure of some intimate secret with a word unexpectedly slipping from your tongue. Conceived scenes always find visual representations. The imaginary translation into visual pictures denotes not only a flight from prosaic and unfulfilling reality. If we only dealt with the passion for revenge and remain focused on the established aim in need of realisation, we would speak of spells. The world of imaginary images is autonomous. Even if its impetus finds its source in reality, the images have no reverse influence on it. The world thus created is the world of notions and inner experiences, constituted as a space where internal conflicts are solved; this is possible precisely because of the contact between imagination and the real world, the substance – image. And this is also why it can exist in its own right. The connection between stories of life and images drawn by imagination resembles the connection between texts of fairy tales and stories, and their illustrations. When we claim that thoughts and events stimulate the growth of images, textual documents are precisely the compelling force that launches the process of visualisation in the illustrator’s mind. The connection between texts and images suggests that text is no longer narration written in words; rather, it acquires the identity of meta-text that still seeks the language, be it written, spoken or painterly. The doubt therefore remains as to whether it is possible at all to determine the real bearer of the story, and whether it is appropriate to lay down value relationships between different levels of expression. Each of the discursive possibilities itself fulfils the task of narrating the whole story. However, the purpose of stories and fairy tales is not merely to convey narration. Their design enables and forces us to mine a deeper meaning if we are to comprehend the entirety of their riches. A child wants to 16
listen to the same story over and over again. He does not get bored
with the fairy tale, although he knows very well the content and development of events. In his inner comprehension of the story he pays attention not only to the pursuit of the line of narrative scenes but rather condenses his thoughts in contemplation of the deeper meanings of narrative patterns. The child learns to evaluate the events; he discerns between good and bad figures in the story and thinks about the problems which the model hero has to overcome to attain his personal fulfilment and the reward, about social values and equity and the happy thereafter, and the prospect of everybody going through trials and growing into a mature and integral personality. In his Uses of Enchantment 1 Bruno Bettelheim points out that a story told has an entirely different meaning for the child, if compared with a text read with no emotional involvement, since it is only the live narration that can incorporate the personal viewpoints of the narrator. We should therefore narrate fairy tales to a child instead of reading them, if they are to reach their goal of establishing themselves as a contrived world of the child’s own imagination. The narration should be presented with emotional engagement; it should recreate attitudes from the story, fashion heroes into psychologically articulated figures, and dramaturgically focus the meaning of the storyline. Illustrations of fairy-tale themes could be said to be an aspect of the personal rendering of narration. Fine art interpretation, with its complex manner of expression, combining the narrative power of line with the emotional influence of colour, enables a particularly close connection between a child’s imagination and the imaginative world of the fairy tale. Genuine illustrators are therefore creators of new stories running behind the literary narration. “The fairy tale is the primer from which the child learns to read his mind in the language of images,
1
Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment, Vintage Books, New York, 1991.
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the only language which permits understanding before intellectual maturity has been achieved. The child needs to be exposed to this language, and must learn to be responsive to it, if he is to become master of his soul,” wrote Bruno Bettelheim. 2 The term used by Niko Grafenauer to characterise the creative and existential position of the illustrator Marija Lucija Stupica, “the designer of themes”, denotes that the painter’s images created for books represent old texts written in a new fashion. A question could be posed about the identity of this new, visual representation of the text. What does it say that makes it different – and thus also autonomous – from the old meaning of the fairy tale? One of the most thrilling metaphors for the suggestiveness of the invented image drawn by reason and imagination is the figure of Olympia from The Sandman by E. T. A. Hoffmann. 3 The plot in this story about adolescent maturing turns around Nathanael’s fascination with a human automaton, the beautiful doll Olympia, made by the obscure inventor as if alive – perhaps even more real than any living creature, for Nathanael finds her more worth loving than the humanly Clara. Olympia enchants him with her perfect, impeccable beauty, with her understanding expressed in her always nodding to his ideas and with her patient listening to him for hours and hours. When Clara, persistent in her acceptance of Nathanael and his deviant fantasies, wishes to explain the relationship between the mysterious and gloomy on the one side, and the light, merry and joyful sensation of life on the other – the difference exemplified in Nathanael’s fragmented and atomised spirit versus Clara’s balanced one – she wrote a letter to Nathanael using the words which could be his own: “Of the Mysterious which often clasps man in its invisible arms there’s not a ray can find its way into this cold heart. She sees only
2
Bruno Bettelheim, op. cit., p. 161. E.T.A. Hoffmann classified his fairy tale Der Sandman (The Sandman) as a special literary form, called nocturno. It was published in the Nachtstücke series in Berlin in 1817. /Translator’s note: All quotations are from electronic version of The Sandman, World Library, 1999./ 3
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the varied surface of the things of the world, and, like the little child, is pleased with the golden glittering fruit, at the kernel of which lies the fatal poison.” 4 In an apparent dialogue Clara goes on to oppose Nathanael and asks whether he thinks “that the intuitive prescience of a dark power working within us to our own ruin cannot exist also in minds which are cheerful, natural free from care?” 5 Clara knew that it was a real intimate conflict that has to be solved. “If there is a dark and hostile power which traitorously fixes a thread in our hearts in order that, laying hold of it and drawing us by means of it along a dangerous road to ruin, which otherwise we should not have trod – if, I say, there is such power, it must assume within us a form like ourselves, nay, it must be ourselves; for only in that way can we believe in it, and only so understood do we yield to it so far that it is able to accomplish its secret purpose. So long as we have sufficient firmness, fortified by cheerfulness, to always acknowledge foreign hostile influences for what they really are, whilst we quietly pursue the path pointed out to us by both inclination and calling, then this mysterious power perishes in its futile struggles to attain the form which is to be the reflected image of ourselves.” 6 The Hoffmannian world and the world of Marija Lucija Stupica’s illustrations have something in common. Boundless imagination; a sense of the world’s brittleness; an awareness that it is not only objects that are fragile but also people and relationships between them; and fear and melancholy proceeding from this recognition – all these transport us into the like world of imagination. The mental design of Stupica’s illustrations touches us with their romantic spirit, as if from a distant past which is, however, entirely familiar. Her images first make us dream, softly convey us into the imaginative world elaborated in minute detail. Nothing is missing in it – it
4
Ibid. Ibid. 6 Ibid. 5
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contains whatever can be found in the real world. People, plants, animals, objects – they all have the same names and attributes as in reality. The defining features, however, are their arrangement and selection. When looking at the painted setting it becomes instantly clear that all the actors present in the scene have been carefully and precisely selected only to lead us into the story. Since objects can also act as dramatic personae, the paintings have to portray their environments in the form of stage settings. When I think of Stupica’s remakes of Andersen’s The Shepherdess and the Chimney-sweep (1984) and Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (1996), I can visualise barren settings that seem like worn-out stage planks which condense, in a startling manner, the entire theatrical experience. The artist creates them so that a lonesome figure, clasped in frozen painterly expression, can become alive, just as children’s favourite toys become alive in their imagination. We speak of animism, the belief in things having a soul, which is the main driving force of the fairy-tale world, and thus also the world that the illustrator’s imagination cannot bypass. When comparing the inner ambiguity of actors in Stupica’s illustrations with a certain moment in the past, I find myself in the period of the major break between the Middle Ages and the modern era. Mysticism on the one side, rationalism on the other (I could also speak of the clash between ideals and unpleasant reality); this difference resembles the tumult in art when the use of the outdated patterns of the late Middle Ages became impossible and when painters were forced to use a new, rational artistic scheme, exemplified in the principle of central, scientific perspective. I would therefore speak of comparison with Fra Angelico or, better still, Vittore Carpaccio. When I imagine his Venetian St. George Fighting the Dragon from Scuola di San Giorgio degli Schiavoni, I can see an emptied scene, enlivened by horrifying fragments of dismembered bodies, skulls and bones. The barren landscape inspires dread. The perspectives of a scrap of a town are retreating. The princess is just a side vertical of the painting. The fight, and thus the peak of the drama, takes place 20
in the empty centre. The emptiness excites and leaves us in doubt
about the outcome of the conflict more than a focus on the thrust with a lance would. Marija Lucija Stupica’s illustrations also leave room for doubt. The uncertainty in which we are left when facing settings with only a few objects – not one is excessive, to be sure, and the scenes are apparently emptied so that every object can touch us with its signification – is omnipresent and exciting. There is no final answer to the contents of the work. Perspectives with different viewpoints mislead. The central point of the gaze is hidden somewhere beyond the edge of the painting. Illustrations enliven textures. Stupica elaborates surfaces of neutral, pictorially enriched backgrounds; she engages in draperies, structures of substance, in order to enhance the tactility of the painted scene. Hence the entanglement of roots in the forest, the entwinement of branches and see plants, both in Little Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grimm (1999) and Andersen’s Mermaid (1986) – which we could see as the adding of hidden meanings to the world of concrete things – actually remind of a sophisticated intimate experience of the world. Stupica’s illustrations are full of excitement. This results, within the composition of the images, from an awareness that something is wrong – that the world which at first glance seemed to be well ordered and perfect, with everything running according to its eternal arrangement – that in this world there is a painful secret hiding behind the pleasant, shiny image. It is the desire to sneak into the explanation of the mystery; despite knowing very well how painful recognition is, we are unstoppably lured to touch it. To grasp mystery, distance, removedness and strenuously reached recognition, one has to reach for distanced, hardly accessible places. Therefore, the metaphor for this effort can be the past, removed in time. Stupica’s illustrations are always both a link with the story and a link with some former world. They seem to be a repetition of Romantic procedure, when artists wished to run away from reality. In this case, however, it is a functional use of retreat, since we can read it as an embodiment of the notion of the existence of the hidden, the safe and
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creative space of imagination. With their enchantment with the past, Stupica’s illustrations are a clear sign of retreat from the contemporary world to a time which still allowed for the option of escape and which had mysterious, distanced places for another, necessary, complementary part of reality. This is why her illustrations serve as markers along the path leading into the distant past, only to submerge into its secret world of imagination. In addition to a world composed of good and bad halves, it is the enlivened objects that play the major roles in fairy tales. The myth of the creation of a man-automaton in The Sandman can be compared with the creation of a substitute reality, which originates in the world of written fairy tales; but these fairy tales then take on the form of painted images. We know that throughout history the image has been ascribed a special power. Worshipping images and their destruction demonstrate the great importance of painting, not in itself, but rather as a bearer of meanings. “Try and convince yourself that these foreign influences can have no power over you, that it is only the belief in their hostile power which can in reality make them dangerous to you,” writes Clara to Nathanael.7 The power of imaginary pictures, which finds its most adequate form in painting, is overwhelming. If you believe in it, it will draw from your imagination the most real images in which you will grow, outlive fear, and direct hopes and urges. 8 The shudder intermingling with rational society is subversive; it shows the child the prospect that beyond the quick satisfaction of desire, reached through material fulfilment in the consumption of pleasure, there is also a world in which one can experience deeper enjoyment, reached through complicated and conflictive inner growth. Terror and peace are of this kind, and gratification, escape and consolation, the attractiveness of shudder – for we know that conciliation and happiness await us in the end.
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7
Ibid. “In order to master the psychological problems of growing up – overcoming narcissistic disappointments, oedipal dilemmas, sibling rivalries; becoming able to relinquish childhood dependencies; gaining a feeling of selfhood and of self-worth, and a sense of moral obligation – a child needs to understand what is going on within his conscious self so that he can also cope with that which goes on in his unconscious. He can achieve this understanding, and with it the ability to cope, not through rational comprehension of the nature and content of his unconscious, but by becoming familiar with it through spinning out daydreams – ruminating, rearranging, and fantasizing about suitable story elements in response to unconscious pressures. By doing this, the child fits unconscious content into conscious fantasies, which then enable him to deal with that content. It is here that fairy tales have unequaled value, because they offer new dimensions to the child’s imagination which would be impossible for him to discover as truly on his own. Even more important, the form and structure of fairy tales suggest images to the child by which he can structure his daydreams and with them give better direction to his life.” Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment, op. cit., pp. 6-7. * The text was written for the exhibition of illustrations of Marija Lucija Stupica at the Gallery Miklova hiša in Ribnica in 2001, which toured to the Gallery Murska Sobota and next year to the Municipal Gallery Piran. The exhibition was the first retrospective overview of her artistic work from 1981 to 2000, which was realized in collaboration between the illustrator and the author of the text. Due to her early death in 2002, it remained the only one in which she had participated. The text was published under the title World of illustration of Marija Lucija Stupica as world of complex youthful inner growth, in the book, Nadja Zgonik, Študije iz slovenskega modernizma po letu 1945, Ljubljana, RI ALUO, 2010, pp. 185–194. 8
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marija lucija stupica
1950–2002
Rojena je bila 13. decembra 1950 v Ljubljani. Leta 1976 je diplomirala na Akademiji likovnih umetnosti v Ljubljani in prav tam nadaljevala študij na slikarski specialki. Že v času študija se je ukvarjala z ilustriranjem knjig za otroke in sodelovala v otroškem periodičnem tisku. Leta 1973 je prejela takrat najvišjo Levstikovo nagrado za Andersenovo Kraljično na zrnu graha in tudi študentsko Prešernovo nagrado. Po končanem študiju se je povsem posvetila knjižnemu slikarstvu – ilustraciji za otroke in mladino. Njeno delo je neločljivo povezano z deli velikih pravljičarjev kot sta brata Grimm in H. Ch. Andersen, ilustrirala pa je že tudi dela Oscarja Wilda in mnogih drugih domačih in tujih pisateljev. V tujini najbolj znana slovenska ilustratorka je za svoje delo prejela vse najpomembnejše domače strokovne nagrade (tri Levstikove nagrade, nagrado Prešernovega sklada, dva Grand Prixa Hinka Smrekarja Slovenskega bienala ilustracij kot najvišjega domačega priznanja na področju ilustracij) in tudi nekatere izmed pomembnejših v tujini (Beograjski knjižni sejem, Zlato jabolko Bienala ilustracij v Bratislavi, verjetno najpomembnejša pa je uvrstitev v finalni izbor za Andersenovo nagrado IBBY). Razstavljala je – samostojno in na preglednih razstavah – v mnogih galerijah doma in v tujini, med drugim tudi na bienalih ilustracij v Bratislavi in Barceloni, v Centro Culturale Le Zitelle v Benetkah, v Palazzo Martinengno v Brescii, v Centre Georges Pompidou v Parizu, v Pallazo Ducale v Genovi (ob praznovanjih 500. obletnice Kolumbovega odkritja Amerike), v Palácio Foz (Fundaçao Maria Ulrich) v Lizboni, v Centrocivico v Luganu, v Palacio Yanduri v Sevilli … Bila je tudi redna, vsakoletna udeleženka pomembne pregledne Mednarodne razstave ilustracij v italijanskem mestecu Sarmede, kjer so ji v letu 2003 pripravili tudi veliko retrospektivno razstavo kot eni najpomembnejših svetovnih ilustratork.
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Marija Lucija Stupica was born in December 13, 1950 in Ljubljana. In 1976, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts and went on to continue her post-graduate work in painting at the Academy. Already as a student, she had begun illustrating children`s books and contributing to children`s periodicals. In 1973, she won the highest national award given to illustrators at the time, the Levstik Award, for her illustrations of Andersen`s fairy tale, The Princess and the Pea. Marija Lucija Stupica has been represented in many of the most important international surveys of illustrators and has participated in many international exhibits of illustrations. Among others, the artist has won three Levstik Awards, the PreĹĄeren Prize (the national award for achievement in the area of Slovenian art), the Golden Apple BIB and the Smrekar Award given at the Slovenian Biennale for Illustrators, currently the highest national award for illustration.
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nagrade awards
LEVSTIKOVE NAGRADE / THE LEVSTIK AWARDS 1973
Za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Kraljična na zrnu graha. For the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Princess and the Pea.
1983
Za ilustracije v: Lobel, Arnold: Regica in skokica. For the illustrations in the book: Lobel, Arnold: Frog and Toad. Za ilustracije v: Stupica, Marija Lucija: Dvanajst mesecev. For the illustrations in the book: Stupica, Marija Lucija: 12 Months.
1986 Za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Pastirica in dimnikar. For the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Shepherdess and the Sweep. Za ilustracije v: Murn, Josip: Pripovedka o oblaku. For the illustrations in the book: Murn, Josip: A Tale of a Cloud. KAJUHOVA NAGRADA / THE KAJUH AWARD 1987
Za ilustracije v: Grafenauer, Niko: Majhnica in Katrca škrateljca. For the illustrations in the book: Grafenauer, Niko: Majhnica and Katrca škrateljca.
ZLATA SLIKANICA / THE GOLDEN BOOK AWARD 1975
Za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Kraljična na zrnu graha. For the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Princess and the Pea. Za ilustracije v: Makarovič, Svetlana: Pekarna Mišmaš. For the illustrations in the book: Makarovič, Svetlana: The Mishmash’s Bakery.
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ŠTUDENTSKA PREŠERNOVA NAGRADA ZA SLIKARSTVO / THE STUDENT’S PREŠEREN AWARD FOR PAINTING 1976 NAGRADA PREŠERNOVEGA SKLADA / THE PREŠEREN FUND AWARD 1989 Za knjižne ilustracije, posebej za ilustracije Andersenovih pravljic. For her book illustrations, in particular for illustrations of the Andersen's fairy tales. NAGRADA HINKA SMREKARJA / HINKO SMREKAR AWARD 1993
Za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Mala morska deklica. For the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Little Mermaid.
1997
Za ilustracije v: Hoffmann, Ernst Theodor Amadeus: Hrestač in Mišji kralj. For the illustrations in the book: Hoffmann, Ernst Theodor Amadeus: The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
MEDNARODNI KNJIŽNI SEJEM V BEOGRADU / INTERNATIONAL BOOK FAIR BELGRADE 1981
Prva nagrada za ilustracije v: Grafenauer, Niko: Lokomotiva, lokomotiva. The First Prize for the illustrations in the book: Grafenauer, Niko: Locomotive, Locomotive.
1984 Prva nagrada za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Pastirica in dimnikar. The First Prize for the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Shepherdess and the Sweep. 27
Za ilustracije v: Stupica, Marija Lucija: Dvanajst mesecev. For the illustrations in the book: Stupica, Marija Lucija: 12 Months. 1988
Prva nagrada za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Svinjski pastir. The First Prize for the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Swineherd.
ZLATNO PERO BEOGRADA / THE GOLDEN QUILL OF BELGRADE 1976
Za ilustracije: Makarovič, Svetlana: Vrček se razbije. For the illustrations in the book: Makarovič, Svetlana: A Mug brakes.
BIENALE ILUSTRACIJ BRATISLAVA / BIB – BIENNIAL OF ILLUSTRATIONS BRATISLAVA 1985
Zlato jabolko za ilustracije v: Andersen, Hans Christian: Pastirica in dimnikar. The Golden Apple Award for the illustrations in the book: Andersen, Hans Christian: The Shepherdess and the Sweep.
ANDERSENOVA NAGRADA IBBY / HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN AWARD IBBY 1988
Nominacija za Andersenovo nagrado za ilustracijo. Nomination for the Andersen’s illustrator’s award.
2000 Finalistka za Andersenovo nagrado za ilustracijo. Finalist for the Andersen’s illustrator’s award.
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Hans Christian Andersen ZaroÄ?enca / The Sweethearts or The Top and Ball PRAVLJICE / FAIRY TALES 1998
marija lucija stupica 1950–2002 Galerija Prešernovih nagrajencev za likovno umetnost Kranj, 3. december 2015–29. januar 2016 / Prešeren Award Winners of Fine Arts Gallery Kranj, 3 December 2015–29 January 2016 Vodja galerije / Head of gallery: Marko Arnež Organizacija in postavitev razstave / Organisation and exhibition set up: Marko Arnež, Hana Stupica Izbor del / Selection of works: Hana Stupica Založil in izdal / Published by: Zavod za turizem in kulturo Kranj Besedila / Texts: Judita Krivec Dragan, dr. Nadja Zgonik Jezikovni pregled / Proofreading: mag. Barbara Kalan Prevod v angleški jezik / English translation: Borut Cajnko, Katarina Ropret Lektoriranje angleškega jezika / English proofreading: Joel Smith Fotografije / Photographs: Jane Štravs, Mladinska knjiga, Hana Stupica Oblikovanje / Design: Hana Stupica Tisk / Print: Tiskarna GTO Košir Naklada / Print run: 200 izvodov / copies Založil in izdal / Published by: Zavod za turizem in kulturo Kranj; zanj / represented by: Branko Fartek, v. d. direktorja / Deputy Director Delovanje galerije omogoča Mestna občina Kranj. / The functioning of the gallery is made possible by the Muncipality of Kranj. Kranj, december / December 2015
Wilhelm Grimm in Jacob Grimm 31 RDEÄŒA KAPICA / LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD 1999
Oscar Wilde SREČNI KRALJEVIČ / THE HAPPY PRINCE 1993
CIP - Kataložni zapis o publikaciji Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica, Ljubljana 75.056(497.4):929 Stupica M.L. STUPICA, Marija Lucija, 1950-2002 Marija Lucija Stupica : 1950-2002 : [Galerija Prešernovih nagrajencev za likovno umetnost, Kranj, 3. december 2015 do 29. januar 2016] / [besedila Judita Krivec Dragan, Nadja Zgonik ; prevod v angleški jezik Borut Cajnko, Katarina Ropret ; fotografije Jane Štravs, Mladinska knjiga, Hana Stupica]. - Kranj : Zavod za turizem in kulturo, 2015 ISBN 978-961-6815-07-9
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