Ante Trstenjak. From the collection of the Maribor Art Gallery.

Painter and graphic artist Ante Trstenjak (1894 – 1970) was a cosmopolitan who, after studying painting in Vienna, Zagreb and Prague, settled in the Czech capital and lived there until 1950, when he returned to Maribor. He was primarily a painter of classical motifs: landscapes, city views and portraits. The exhibition presents the author’s characteristic works: study graphics and drawings, Parisian and Italian watercolors, a cycle dedicated to Lusatian women in national costumes, an excellent cycle Near the toilet, drawings and watercolors created during travels at home and abroad, and of course paintings, including two self-portraits.

Ante Trstenjak was primarily a painter, but this time we also get to know him as a superb watercolorist and virtuoso draftsman, who equally convincingly depicted the countryside, sea motifs and city views. In addition to the paintings, a selection of his pencil and charcoal drawings will be on display, which reveal the artist’s spontaneity and softness, which is often not expressed in painting.

At heart, Trstenjak was devoted to traditional painting. In some periods, he came close to some of the current art trends of the 20th century, but he soon returned to established tracks. He was a respected painter in the Slovenian space, but he never received excessive attention, as he remained committed to tradition in the era of prevailing modernist tendencies and prioritized color moderation and harmony.