Marko Šuštaršič

Biografija

Marko Šuštaršič se je rodil 13. novembra 1927 v Cerknici.
Osnovno šolo je obiskoval na Rakeku, gimnazijo sprva v Celju,
nato v Zaječarju, kamor je bila družina leta 1941 izseljena. V istem
letu se je kot mladoletni prostovoljec priključil slovenskemu
bataljonu I. Krajiške brigade. V januarju 1945 je bil težko ranjen
na sremski fronti in prepeljan v bolnico v Inđijo. Po koncu vojne
je obiskoval gimnazijo v Celju, kjer je leta 1947 maturiral. Leta
1951 je diplomiral na ALU v Ljubljani - smer slikarstvo pri profe-
sorju Gabrijelu Stupici. Do leta 1953 je študiral na specialki za
zidno slikarstvo pri profesorju Slavku Pengovu.

Leta 1958 se je strokovno izpopolnjeval s štipendijo
holandskega inštituta za kulturo v Amsterdamu in Den
Haagu. Leta 1962 se je v grafičnih tehnikah izpopolnjeval v
ateljeju J. Friedlaenderja v Parizu.

Prvič se je predstavil na razstavi Sedem mladih - skupina 53, leta 1953 v Moderni galeriji
v Ljubljani. Od leta 1953 do 2000 so bila njegova dela predstavljena na okoli 200 skupin-
skih, selekcioniranih in tematskih razstavah v Jugoslaviji in na okrog 80 razstavah v
tujini, med drugim na 2. bienalu slikarstva v Parizu leta 1961, na 6. bienalu v Tokiyu
(1961), na 4. bienalu v Aleksandriji (1961), na Documenti III v Kasslu (1964) itn.. Njegova
dela so bila predstavljena na 26 osebnih razstavah v Zagrebu, Den Haagu, Ljubljani,
Brežicah, Mariboru, na Reki, v Beogradu, Parizu, Grazu, Celju, Somboru, Kopru.

V letu 1953 je postal član DSLU. Leta 1960 sta z M. Cetinom ustvarila stensko sliko
Lepa Vida in leta 1967 stensko sliko Pomorska bitka pri Kopru v počitniškem domu
Ljubljanske kreditne banke v Strunjanu. V letih 1963-1964 je bil predsednik umetniškega
sveta DSLU. Leta 1969 se je vključil v Grupo 69 in z njo redno razstavljal.

Vse življenje je poleg slikarstva opravljal tudi poklic likovnega pedagoga. Sprva je
poučeval likovni pouk na osnovni šoli v Stražišču pri Kranju, kasneje na kranjski gim-
naziji. Nekaj časa je sodeloval kot zunanji sodelavec na Akademiji za likovno umetnost
v Ljubljani (metodika risanja). Od leta 1955 do 1962 je poučeval na osnovni šoli Prule v
Ljubljani. Od leta 1962 do leta 1967 je bil profesor na Šoli za oblikovanje v Ljubljani.
Od leta 1967 do leta 1973 je poučeval na Pedagoški akademiji v Ljubljani (risanje, slikan-
je, grafične tehnike). Leta 1970 je bil izbran za predsednika Društva pedagogov
Slovenije. Od leta 1973 do svoje smrti (1976) je kot docent poučeval na Akademiji za
likovno umetnost v Ljubljani, kjer je bil zadnji dve leti prodekan.

Nagrade: Nagrada za slikarstvo na II. bienalu mladih, Pariz 1961, Nagrada na Salonu
61, Reka 1961, I. nagrada za slikarstvo na razstavi NOB, Beograd 1961, Nagrada
Prešernovega sklada, Ljubljana 1962, Odkupna nagrada na VII. likovni jeseni, Sombor
1967, Nagrada sklada Zveze združenj borcev NOB v Beogradu leta 1970, Odkupni
nagradi na razstavi NOB v delih likovnih umetnikov, Beograd 1973, Župančičeva nagra-
da, posthumno, Ljubljana, 1978.

Biography

Marko Šuštaršič was born on November 13, 1927 at Cerknica. He attended primary
school at Rakek, grammar school first in Celje, then in Zaječar where the family was
deported in 1941. In the same year he joined the Slovene battalion of the I. Krajiška
brigade as a youth volunteer. In January 1945 he was badly wounded at the Srem front
and taken to hospital at Inđija. After the war, he attended grammar school in Celje
and graduated in 1947. In 1951 he graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in
Ljubljana in painting, with Professor Gabrijel Stupica. Till 1953 he specialized in wall
painting with Professor Slavko Pengov.

In 1958 he was perfecting his knowledge in Amsterdam and Den Haag with the schol-
arship of the Dutch institute for culture. Four years later, he was perfecting his
printing techniques in the studio of J. Friedlaender in Paris.

He first presented himself at the exhibition Seven Young Painters - Group 1953 in the
Gallery of Modern Art in Ljubljana in 1953. From 1953 to 2000 his works were present-
ed at about 200 group, selected or thematic exhibitions in Yugoslavia and Slovenia, and
about 80 abroad, among them the 2nd biennial of painting in Paris in 1961, the 6th bien-
nial in Tokyo in 1961, the 4th biennial in Alexandria in 1961, the Documenta III in Kassel
in 1964, etc. His works were presented at 26 one-man exhibitions in Zagreb, Den Haag,
Ljubljana, Brežice, Maribor, Rijeka, Belgrade, Paris, Graz, Celje, Sombor, Koper.

In 1953 he became a member of the Slovene Artists' Society. In 1954 he created the wall
painting in the chapel, the then gymnasium of the Kranj grammar school. In 1960 he cre-
ated the wall painting Lepa Vida (The Beautiful Vida) together with M. Cetin, and in
1967 the wall painting The Naval Battle of Koper in the holiday house of the Ljubljana
Credit Bank in Strunjan. In 1963-1964 he was president of the art council of the Slovene
Artists' Society. In 1969 he became a member of the Group 69 and regularly participated
in its exhibitions.

All of his life he was an art teacher besides being a painter. He first taught at the ele-
mentary school at Stražišče near Kranj, later on at the Kranj grammar school. For a
while he was a nonresident co-worker of the Ljubljana Academy of Fine Arts (method-
ology of painting). From 1955 to 1962 he taught at the elementary school Prule in
Ljubljana. From 1962 to 1967 he taught at the School for Design in Ljubljana. From
1967 to 1973 he taught at the Pedagogical Academy in Ljubljana (drawing, painting,
printing techniques). In 1970 he was elected president of the Slovene Pedagogical
Society. Since 1973 to his death (1976) he was assistant professor at the Academy of
Fine Arts in Ljubljana, the last 2 years also its deputy dean.

Awards: Painting award, II. Biennial of Youth, Paris, 1961; Salon 61 Award, Rijeka, 1961;
1st Painting Award, National Liberation War exhibition, Belgrade, 1961; Prešeren
Fund Award, Ljubljana, 1962; Purchase Award, VII. Art Autumn, Sombor, 1967; Award
of the Fund of The Association of Partisan Societies , Belgrade, 1970; two Purchase
Awards at the National Liberation War as Portrayed by Artists Exhibition, Belgrade,
1973; Župančič Award, posthumously, Ljubljana, 1978.

retja četrtina dvajsetega stoletja je bila eno najbolj vznemirljivih, če že ne najbolj
vznemirljivo od vseh obdobij slovenske likovne umetnosti. Na začetku in na koncu
je bila zmeda: stare sile so bile obakrat izčrpane, nove pa so nastopale z divjo energi-
jo ter - ker nemalokrat niso samo nasprotovale starim, ampak so se spopadale tudi
med sabo - brutalnostjo: ne samo v likovni umetnosti, a tudi v njej.

Marko Šuštaršič je imel srečo, da je to obdobje živel pri polni umetniški moči in zato
je komaj mogoče najti opus, ki bi čas in spremembe, ki so ga zaznamovale, ilustriral
bolje od njegovega. Ključne trenutke je marsikdaj soustvarjal, kakor za druge
vodilne predstavnike obdobja pa je tudi zanj značilno, da se je od trenutno pre-
vladujočih tokov nemalokrat tudi odmaknil v lastni svet, še toliko raje zato, ker
mu energije ni primanjkovalo, brutalen pa ni bil nikoli.

Vseh umetniških korakov, ki jih je Šuštaršič naredil, kranjska razstava ne more in
niti ne skuša predstaviti; to bo naloga umetniku posvečene monografije. Predstavi
pa lahko njegove najpomembnejše trenutke, najprej dela, ki so še pred njegovo
maturo ter vpisom na ljubljansko akademijo (1947) nastajala v okolju mladinskih
delovnih akcij. Gre za značilno realistične interpretacije, pri čemer se je umetnik
najraje osredotočil na posamezne figure in na njihovo psihološko interpretacijo; na
takšnih delih v bistvu nastopa kot portretist, torej v vlogi, v kateri bi se (kakor
dokazujejo njegovi poznejši portreti in avtoportreti) lahko uveljavljal tudi pozneje,
pa ga ta pot očitno nikoli ni resnično pritegnila.

Glede na čas nastanka teh del se seveda avtomatično postavlja vprašanje, ali gre za
primerke socialističnega realizma. Odgovor je nikalen. Po eni strani v Šuštaršičevih
delih ni mogoče opaziti tistega patetičnega heroizma, ki je conditio sine qua non
tovrstnih del, po drugi pa so vse preveč očitno "subjektivistična" - v danem času je
bila takšna označba seveda skrajno negativna. Prav značilni subjektivizem pa je umet-
niku omogočil, da je (po prehodni "primitivistični" fazi) postal vodilni predstavnik
povojnega intimizma. Po številu del, pa tudi po časovnem merilu (dela segajo od
konca prve polovice petdesetih pa do poznih šestdesetih let, pri čemer je celoto
mogoče razdeliti na več podfaz) gre za najbolj obširno umetnikovo obdobje. Med nje-
govimi je bilo - in je očitno še danes - tudi najbolj priljubljeno, prav to pa je povzročilo,
da je na Slikanice, ki jih je Šuštaršič ustvarjal od konca šestdesetih do srede prve
polovice sedemdesetih let, publika marsikdaj reagirala negativno; med drugim so mu
menda očitali, da zgolj slepo posnema Warhola.

Takšni očitki se danes zdijo hudo nenavadni, čeprav jih po svoje ni težko razumeti:
podobno kot surrealizem z Dalíjem so pop-art že od nekdaj enačili z Warholom in na
pop-art je Šuštaršič ob Slikanicah nedvomno pomislil, pri čemer pa mu je ustvaril
samosvojo, med slovenskimi nedvomno najbolj originalno vzporednico. To pot je
nadaljeval ter stopnjeval tudi na svoji naslednji - in žal poslednji - seriji, ki kaže
(včasih v skupine združene) figure pred hribovitim ozadjem. Liki so vedno individu-

alizirani, pa naj gre pri tem za znamenite osebnosti (drugače povedano, za "popartične
ikone") ali za večini publike neznane anonimneže, ki pa pogosto zaznamujejo umet-
nikove osebne spomine. V vsakem primeru je osnovno razpoloženje enako: določa ga
likovni kontrast med - znova - poudarjeno subjektivistično naslikanimi figurami v
prvem planu in med prazno, neskončno krajino v ozadju. Tako upodobljena krajina ne
zaznamuje samo prostorske, ampak tudi časovno večnost, s katero pa v svoje drobne
trenutke zabubljene figure v ospredju nočejo imeti nobene zveze; in dejansko jih Šuš-
taršič z njo likovno ni povezal, jih je pa prednjo neusmiljeno postavil.

Lev Menaše

he third quarter of the 20th century was one of the more, if not the most, exciting
periods in Slovene art. At its beginning and at its end there was confusion: the old
forces were exhausted in both cases, the new ones presented themselves with a wild
energy and - since they were not only opposing the old ones, but also exchanging
blows among themselves - brutality: not merely in visual arts, but also therein.

Marko Šuštaršič was lucky to have lived through this period at the height of his
artistic power, and it is therefore hardly possible to find an opus which would bet-
ter illustrate the times and their changes than his own. He often co-authored the
key moments, but as of other leading representatives of the period it was charac-
teristic of him, too, that he often retreated from the currently prevailing orien-
tations into a world of his own, the more so as he never lacked in energy, but was
never brutal in any way.

It is impossible for the Kranj exhibition to represent all the artistic steps made by
Šuštaršič, nor is this its intention; this will be the task of the artist's monographic
presentation. It can, however, represent his most important moments, firstly the
works created before his graduation from the grammar school and matriculation at
the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana (1947), within the environment of youth work
brigades. These are characteristically realistic interpretations in which the artist
preferred to concentrate on individual figures and their psychological interpreta-
tion; in such works he is essentially a portrait painter, i. e. in the role in which he
could have gained recognition later on as well (as proved by his later portraits and
self-portraits), but this was obviously not the path that he wished to follow.

Considering the time of the creation of these works, the question that automati-
cally arises is whether they are examples of socialist realism. The answer is nega-
tive. On the one hand it is impossible to find in his works the pathetic heroism that
is the conditio sine qua non of the works of that kind, on the other hand they are
by far too obviously "subjectivist" - at the time of their creation, such a denotation

was of course utterly negative. It was the characteristic subjectivism itself that
made it possible for the artist to become (after the initial "primitivist" phase) the
leading representative of the post-war intimism. According to the number of works,
but also according to the time span (these works were created from the mid-1950s
to the late 1960s, whereby the whole can be divided into several subphases) this was
the artist's most extensive period. It was also - and apparently still is today - his
most popular period, this fact being the very reason why his Slikanice(Picture
Books), to which he was dedicating himself from the late 1960s to the middle of the
first half of the 1970s, were often met with negative reactions by the public; among
other things they supposedly reproached him for blindly copying Warhol.
Such reproaches seem extremely unusual today, although in a way it is not impossi-
ble to understand them. Just as surrealism has been equated to Dalí, so pop art has
always been equated to Warhol, and pop art was undoubtedly on Šuštaršič's mind
when working on Picture Books; still, he created an independent, the most origi-
nal parallel of all Slovene examples. He continued on this path, further enhanc-
ing his independence in his next - and sadly last - series, which represents figures
(sometimes joined into groups) in front of hilly backgrounds. The figures are
always individualized, whether they be celebrities (in other words, "pop art icons")
or anonimous creatures, unknown to most of the public, who, however, often rep-
resent the artist's personal memories. In any case, the basic mood is the same: it is
determined by the visual contrast between the - again - emphatically subjectivist fig-
ures in the front and the empty, endless landscape in the background. The thus
painted landscape marks not only the eternity of space, but also the eternity of
time, with which the figures in the front, "pupated" in their tiny moments, will have
nothing to do; and, in fact, Šuštaršič established no visual contact between them
and the landscape, he just mercilessly placed them in front of it.

Lev Menaše

levo: Marko Šuštaršič v ateljeju

Priložene reprodukcije

Uničeni spomenik, 116 x 88,5 cm, olje na pl., 1963
Zapuščina, 70 x 81 cm, olje na pl., 1968
Zbirka, 81 x 70 cm, olje na pl., 1967
Tri figure, 89 x 116 cm, olje na pl. 1974
Slikanica - Pozabljena zgodovina, 89 x 116 cm, olje na pl., 1973
Predstava, 25 x 30,5 cm, barvna akvatinta in jedkanica, 1966
Parada, 29 x 23,5 cm, akvatinta, 1964
Interier, 23,5 x 29,5 cm, akvatinta, 1963

Na prvi strani zloženke:
Avtoportret, 51 x 45 cm, oglje na papirju, 1945

Attached reproductions

Destroyed Monument, 116 x 88,5 cm, oil on canvas, 1963
Legacy, 70 x 81 cm, oil on canvas, 1968
Collection, 81 x 70 cm, oil on canvas, 1967
Three Figures, 89 x 116 cm, oil on canvas, 1974
Picture Book - Forgotten History, 89 x 116 cm, oil on canvas, 1973
Performances, 25 x 30,5 cm, colour aquatint and etching, 1966
Parade, 29 x 23,5 cm, aquatint, 1964
Interior, 23,5 x 29,5 cm, aquatint, 1963

Front leaf of the leaflet:
Self-portrait, 51 x 45 cm, charcoal on paper, 1945

Galerija Prešernovih nagrajencev
za likovno umetnost
Kranj

Glavni trg 18
4000 Kranj
04/202 57 16
www.gpn.kranj.si
[email protected]

Organizacija: Marko Arnež, Uroš Korenčan, Petra Polak, Barbara Kalan
Besedilo: dr. Lev Menaše ● Prevod: Jana Kranjec Menaše ● Korekture: Marija Šubic

Foto: Marko Tušek, arhiv avtorja ● Oblikovanje: Marko Tušek
● Tisk: Tiskarna GTO Košir

Kranj, december 2008

Mestna občina Kranj
Slovenski trg 1, 4000 Kranj

www.kranj.si































Galerija Prešernovih nagrajencev
za likovno umetnost
Kranj
Glavni trg 18
4000 Kranj
04/202 57 16
www.gpn-kranj.si
[email protected]

Mestna občina Kranj
Slovenski trg 1, 4000 Kranj

www.kranj.si

Ta publikacija
je v tiskani različici izšla
v obliki mape

(na fotografijah)