Ivan Seljak, nom de guerre Čopič (7 December 1927 – 1990) was a Slovene painter and illustrator. Seljak was born in

Idrija Idrija (, in older sources ''Zgornja Idrija''; german: (Ober)idria, it, Idria) is a town in western Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Idrija. It is located in the traditional region of Inner Carniola and is in the Gorizia Statisti ...

in 1927. During the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

he joined the

Slovene Partisans The Slovene Partisans, formally the National Liberation Army and Partisan Detachments of Slovenia, (NOV in POS) were part of Europe's most effective anti-Nazi resistance movement Jeffreys-Jones, R. (2013): ''In Spies We Trust: The Story of Western ...

as a young military courier, where he met Božidar Jakac and other artists who encouraged his artistic talent. After the war he studied at the

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 ...

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 ...

, from which he graduated in 1951. His main medium was painting, but he also illustrated numerous children's books. He won the

Levstik Award The Levstik Award ( sl, Levstikova nagrada) is a literary award in Slovenia awarded for achievements in children's literature. It has been bestowed since 1949 by the Mladinska Knjiga Publishing House, making it the first literary award established ...

for his illustrations three times: in 1955, 1963, and 1976. He also won the Prešeren Foundation Award in 1975 for the exhibitions of his paintings.Slovenian Ministry of Culture, complete list of Prešeren Foundation Awards recipients
He died in 1990.

Selected illustrated works

* (Marching to Freedom), written by Peter Levec, 1945 * (A Child of a Dark Race), written by Jože Pahor, 1947 * (The Three Daughters), Tatar folk tale, 1953 * (The Crew without a Ship), written by Tone Seliškar, 1955 * (The Book about Tito), written by

France Bevk France Bevk () (17 September 1890 – 17 September 1970) was a Slovene writer, poet and translator. He also wrote under the pseudonym Pavle Sedmak. Biography Bevk was born in the mountain village of Zakojca (Coizza during Italian rule, now p ...

, 1955 * (Twelve), written by

Alexander Blok Alexander Alexandrovich Blok ( rus, Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Бло́к, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ ˈblok, a=Ru-Alyeksandr Alyeksandrovich Blok.oga; 7 August 1921) was a Russian lyrical poet, writer, publ ...

, 1957 * (The Harsh North), written by Pavel Kunaver, 1958 * (Short Stories), written by

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

, 1958 * (Happy and Sad Stories about Mules), written by Tone Seliškar, 1963 * (Aska and the Wolf), written by

Ivo Andrić Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961. His writings dealt mainly with life in ...

, 1963 * ''Gregec Kobilica'' (Gregec Kobilica), written by Branka Jurca, 1965 * ''Robinson Crusoe'' (

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

), written by Daniel Defoe, 1975 * (My Song), poetry by Karel Destovnik, 1985

References

Slovenian male painters Slovenian illustrators Yugoslav Partisans members 1927 births 1990 deaths People from Idrija Levstik Award laureates Ethnic Slovene people University of Ljubljana alumni 20th-century Slovenian painters 20th-century Slovenian male artists {{slovenia-artist-stub