When we stand before a painting, sculpture or print we surrender ourselves to their expressive address and enter into a silent dialogue with their creators. We re-experience their feelings, we read mental backgrounds, or we try to find out how a certain work of art was coming into existence. The exhibits assembled in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia are a rich source of creative inspiration. For this reason, in addition to guided tours and lectures for visitors, we have been organizing various creative courses for a number of years. The courses are meant to invite visitors to make drawings and sculptures in front of the exhibits in the collection or to test their abilities in printmaking. The present exhibition shows the works of participants to three courses that were held in the National Gallery from February to April 2018.
Intaglio printmaking techniques course
Eleven participants of the course were trained in different intaglio printmaking techniques: drypoint, etching, aquatint, reservage, vernis-mou. The intaglio technique also enabled them to vary different techniques. They prepared matrixes themselves and learned how to make quality graphic impressions. The prints they made evidence their acquired technical skill and the development of their own artistic idiom. Each participant expressed their own linear lyricism, selected composition, and colour or tone mood.
Drawing course
Fourteen draughtsmen studied in detail still-lifes mounted in the permanent collection. We investigated the laws of perspective and colour modelling in baroque, realist and modernist works. We made drawings in front of the works of our masters, sometimes we only drew a detail, sometimes the whole. We created still-lifes in the studio after models and delved into the study of forms in the round and colour values. Gatherings in the studio were mainly dedicated to working with watercolours. Among other things, we painted still-lifes in green violet and orange.
Clay sculpture course
Thirteen participants modelled clay in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. We learned about the basic principles of modelling clay, about the tools needed for this sort of work, different paints for colouring clay, glazes, patination, how we make a mould, etc. We started by making a relief, then a vessel, mask, hollow sphere, animal figure, human figure, portrait, etc. We found inspiration for our work in the wonderful sculpture collection of the National Gallery of Slovenia.
Mentor of the Drawing and Intaglio printmaking courses
Tanja Milharčič
Mentor of the Clay sculpture course
Sabina Mattersdorfer
Coordination of the exhibition
mag. Kristina Preininger
26 April to 10 May 2018
National Gallery of Slovenia
Prešernova 24
1000 Ljubljana