Matej Sternen
Matej Sternen (20 September 1870 – 28 June 1949) was a leading
Sternen was born in the
Sternen became acquainted with Impressionism already in Graz. In Vienna, he saw the original paintings of several French impressionists. In Munich he studied with fellow countrymen Rihard Jakopič and Matija Jama, two other representatives of Slovene impressionism. Unlike them, Sternen preferred figurative art, and his work consists mostly of portraits and female nudes.
He became known chiefly as a restorer and conservator of old paintings, and dedicated the majority of his later life to restoration. He partly restored and partly repainted the ceiling in the
During World War II, Sternen did not take a political stance, although he was occasionally critical of the communist-led Liberation Front and its activities.[2] In 1944 he painted a portrait of Home Guard General Leon Rupnik,[3] who was the patron of his only solo exhibition in 1944.[2] After the war, he was sent to a prison camp in the Kočevje area, but he was released after six months due to the intervention of prominent acquaintances.[2] He died in Ljubljana on 28 June 1949 and was buried in Žale Cemetery.
Works
- Rdeči parazol (The Red Parasol) (1904), National Gallery, Ljubljana
- Ulica v Münchnu (A Street in Munich), National Gallery, Ljubljana
- Pomladno sonce (Spring Sun), National Gallery, Ljubljana
- Na divanu (On the Couch) (1909), National Gallery, Ljubljana
- Frescos on ceiling of the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation (1935), In situ, Franciscan Church, Ljubljana
References
- ^ Taufbuch. Vrhnika. 1870–1894. p. 10. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b c Mrevlje, Neža (8 February 2023). "Portretist meščanov in ustvarjalec aktov". Nedeljski Dnevnik. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ Sternen, Matej. "Leon Rupnik (1880-1945)". Digitalna Knijižnica Slovenije. Narodna in univerzitetna knjižnica. Retrieved 29 January 2023.
External links
- Institute for Slovenian Studies, Melbourne site with Sonja Vadnjal's article about Sternen
- National Gallery of Slovenia site
Further reading
- France Stele: Slovene Impressionists, Olympic Marketing Corp, 1980, ISBN 978-0-89893-107-5