Stojan Batič (2 June 1925 – 17 September 2015) was a Slovene

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. Mostly a figurative artist, he is particularly known for his sculptures exhibited in many public places in

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

Life

Batič was born in a working-class family in

Trbovlje Trbovlje (; german: Trifail''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 4: ''Štajersko''. 1904. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 58.) is Slovenia's tenth-largest town, and the seat of the Municipality ...

, a mining town in central Slovenia, then part of the

Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...

. As a teenager, he worked in the local

coal mine Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

. At the age of 19, he joined the partisan resistance and fought the invading

Nazi German Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

forces. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he was the first to enroll at the newly established

Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute ...

at the

University of Ljubljana The University of Ljubljana ( sl, Univerza v Ljubljani, , la, Universitas Labacensis), often referred to as UL, is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. It has approximately 39,000 enrolled students. History Beginnings Although certain ...

, where he studied sculpture under Boris Kalin and Frančišek Smerdu. In 1957, he received a scholarship, which enabled him to study in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

with the sculptor

Ossip Zadkine Ossip Zadkine (russian: Осип Цадкин; 28 January 1888 – 25 November 1967) was a Belarusian-born French artist. He is best known as a sculptor, but also produced paintings and lithographs. Early years and education Zadkine was born on ...

. Batič lived and worked in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the are ...

. In 1995, he had a show at Ljubljana City Gallery. In 2015, the Jakopič Gallery held a retrospective exhibition of his work under the title "The Man and The Myth" ().

Work

Batič, predominantly a figurative sculptor, is known for about 40 public monuments depicting events from Slovene history, as well as European and Oriental myths and legends. His best-known works include the monument to the Slovene

peasant revolts This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...

Ljubljana Castle Ljubljana Castle ( sl, Ljubljanski grad, german: Laibacher Schloss) is a castle complex standing on Castle Hill above downtown Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is a key landmark of the town. Originally a medieval fortress, it was probably ...

featuring a group of men holding war scythes, and the ''Itaka'' series of figurative sculptures. His 1957 bronze sculpture (Ballet) stands in front of

Tivoli Castle Tivoli Castle ( sl, Grad Tivoli), originally called Podturn Manor (german: Schloss Unterthurn,Costa, Ethbin Heinrich. 1848. ''Reiseerinnerungen aus Krain''. Ljubljana: Eger, p. 39. sl, Grad Pod turnom), is a mansion in Ljubljana, the capital of ...

Tivoli Park Tivoli City Park ( sl, Mestni park Tivoli) or simply Tivoli Park () is the largest park in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It is located on the western outskirts of the Center District, Ljubljana, Center District, stretching to the Šiška Dis ...

in Ljubljana. In the 1960s, he created a mining-related series in lignite, and in the 1970s a series of glass sculptures, the two representing his most significant approach to abstract art.

Awards

In 1960, Batič received the

Prešeren Award The Prešeren Award ( sl, Prešernova nagrada), also called the Grand Prešeren Award ( sl, Velika Prešernova nagrada), is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia. It is awarded each yea ...

, the highest prize for artistic and cultural achievements in Slovenia.

References

Bibliography

*Stojan Batič. ''Izbor reproduciranih del in oblikovanje monografije: Zoran Kržišnik, Jože Brumen, Stojan Batič''. Prevod v angleščino: Bojan P. Moll. Reprodukcije: Miro Zdovc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Batic, Stojan 1925 births 2015 deaths 20th-century Slovenian sculptors 20th-century Slovenian male artists 21st-century Slovenian sculptors Prešeren Award laureates Yugoslav Partisans members People from Trbovlje Artists from Ljubljana University of Ljubljana alumni

Life

Work

Awards

See also

References

Bibliography