Nikolaj Pirnat | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1903-12-10)10 December 1903 |
| Died | 9 January 1948(1948-01-09) (aged 44) |
| Other names | Captain Kopjejkin, Miklavž Breugnon |
| Occupation(s) | Painter, illustrator, sculptor |
| Style | social realism |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | Yugoslav partisans |
| Awards |  Order of Brotherhood and Unity Order for Merit to the People |
Nikolaj Pirnat (10 December 1903,Idrija,Austria-Hungary – 9 January 1948,Ljubljana,Yugoslavia) was aSlovene painter and sculptor. He was the earliest exponent ofsocial realism in Slovene fine arts.[1]
Nikolaj Pirnat was born on 10 December 1903 inIdrija (thenAustria-Hungary) as the son of writer Maks Pirnat. He attended high school inKranj and Idrija. He spent four and a half years studying at the Academy of Arts inZagreb, graduating in sculpting alongsideIvan Meštrović in 1925. In 1927 he spent a year inParis as part of his studies.
In 1928 he moved fromMaribor toLjubljana, where he held a solo exhibition of his paintings[2] and started working as an illustrator in the editorial office of the liberal newspaperJutro until the breakout of theSecond World War.
In 1942 he was imprisoned in the ItalianGonars concentration camp. Many of Pirnat's drawings from the camp have been preserved.[3] After thecapitulation of Italy in 1943 and the subsequent liberation of the camp, he joined theYugoslav partisans and worked at the headquarters' art propaganda department. During this period, he went by the pen names Captain Kopjejkin and Miklavž Breugnon. He attained the rank of captain and was awarded theOrder of Brotherhood and Unity and theOrder for Merit to the People. After theliberation of Belgrade, he became the illustrator for the newspaperBorba.
Following the end of the war and the creation of theSocialist Yugoslav state in 1945, he was appointed professor of drawing at the newly establishedAcademy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana.[4]
He died in Ljubljana on 9 January 1948.
Pirnat's art is noted for its social critique, which often borders onsatire. He is among the earliest exponents ofsocial realism in Slovene art and was also among the representatives of early Yugoslavsocialist realism prior to theTito–Stalin split. One of his main early influences wasPablo Picasso.
His oeuvre consists of sculptures (General Rudolf Maister, 1926;Igralec Danilo, 1933), portraits and various oil paintings. He also illustrated books, namelyOton Župančič'sCiciban (in 1932),Cervantes'Don Quixote, (1935–1937) and others.[5]
Pirnat's statue ofJohn the Baptist is located at the center of theTrnovo Bridge in Ljubljana.[6] Some of his works are held in the collections of theMuseum of Modern Art,[7] the National Museum of Natural History,[8] both in Ljubljana, and theMaribor Art Gallery.[9]
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