Jana Vizjak

Jana Vizjak (born 30 June 1956 in Ljubljana) is a Slovene painter and graphic artist.
== Life and work ==
Jana Vizjak studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ljubljana and completed her postgraduate studies in painting in 1982 under Prof Janez BernikOsebnosti: Veliki slovenski biografski leksikon. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga, 2008.. From 1991 to 1996 she was a student and guest lecturer at the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts under Prof Gotthard Graubner. She had solo exhibitions in Slovenia, London, Carinthia, Berlin and Düsseldorf, and participated in important international group exhibitions.
In the 1980s, Jana Vizjak established herself as a painter with large format canvases covered with spirited applications of paint and other visual art techniques. The main motifs, painted with dynamic brush strokes or drawn quickly and directly as monumental compositions, were expressive shapes of the human figure as well as symbolic and associative shapes. The painter, however, immersed herself in exploring the expressive scope of abstract visual artDamir Globočnik: Dialog barve in svetlobe v sliki. In: Jana Vizjak, Damir Globočnik, Aljaž Pogačnik: Kreposti, krogi in portreti. Jesenice: Gornjesavski muzej; Kranj: Gorenjski muzej; Radovljica: Muzeji radovljiške občine, 2018.. In the her painting we can recognize a lucky blend of two concepts, distant in time and place: on the one hand, the muralism of medieval fresco painters, fettered by a prescribed iconography, yet disposing of a practically unlimited space; on the other hand, the freedom of action painting. From both she takes what suits her vision: the broad and free strokes, the full resonance of colouring. She adds some elements of her own: modern combinations of materials, and the innovative technique of assemblage; penetrant colours, and the independent value of the drawing, which is not just a groundwork, but a carrier of mood in its own right, on a par with the energy of colourZoran Kržišnik: Freedom and Captivity. In: Jana Vizjak. Ljubljana: Samozaložba,1989..
Vizjak began her studies at the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts under Professor Gotthard Graubner, which saw a complete turnabout in her artistic expression. She no longer used gestural painting and gestural drawing, and the colours she used shed their blandness and materiality. The emphatic materiality was replaced by non-materially perceived coloursDamir Globočnik. Pretanjen barvni izraz. Revija SRP, okt. 2012 (20) 92-93.. At first glance, it seemed that with the new, relaxed colours, a period of composure and sensibility had arrived in her content and formulation, even though Vizjak entered the world of demanding colourist painting. The main shape-forming factors in Vizjak’s paintings were now colour, light, shape, space, and brush strokes, the two most important ones being colour and light. Usually in painting, the shape is emphasised by colour, and colour is emphasised by light; but Vizjak’s paintings show a close connection – a harmony – between both image-forming factors. Unlike the abstract Gotthard Graubner, Vizjak combined her newly-acquired painting techniques with objects as the main motifs. The themes that Vizjak has been using since the beginning of her painting career further solidify this: the human formLev Menaše. Jana Vizjak: the yellow self-portret. Ljubljana Castle, Pentagonal tower, Ljubljana: Ljubljanski grad, 2015., still life and landscapeMilček Komelj: Mistično hrepenenjska umetnost. Zvon: kulturno - družbena revija, 2012 (2) 31-32. Milček Komelj. Ciprska brezčasnost Jane Vizjak. In: Jana Vizjak: Oda ciprski krajini. Ljubljana: Galerija Zala, 2010.. Vizjak paints with vibrant, light colours that bring jovialityDamir Globočnik. Odprtje razstave Jane Vizjak. Novice IJS, Sep. 2015 (174) 22-23.. The colour is modified by the sunlight pouring down on Vizjak’s painted images.
== Awards and honours ==
1980 Študentska Prešernova nagrada
1982 I.Diploma Ex-tempore Piran
1983 Odkupna nagrada Ex-tempore Piran
1984 III.Nagrada Ex-Tempore Piran
1985 Priznanje Sedem sekretarjev SKOJ-a
1986 Prešernova nagrada mesta Celje
1989 Mention de jury, 21e Festival International de la Peinture, Cagnes-sur-Mer
1990 Grand Prix Alpe - Adria, Mednarodni grafični likovni center, Ljubljana
1991 Odkupna nagrada Zveze društev slovenskih likovnih umetnikov - slovenska grafika
1991-1993 Štipendistka DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
2003 5°Premio Pittura »Lorenzo de Medici«, Biennale Internationale Dell´Arte Contemporanea, Firenze
2005 Priznanje pomembnih umetniških del, Akademija za likovno umetnost v Ljubljani, Univerza v Ljubljani
2006 Dodelitev naziva Docent za slikarstvo, Univerza v Ljubljani
2008 Častna nagrada Majski salon ZDSLU
2015 Nominacija za nagrado Prešernovega sklada za ciklus samostojnih razstav
2018 Častna članica Slovensko-nemškega društva štipendistov (Alexander von Humbodt in DAAD - Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst)
== Selected articles and reviews ==
Meta Gabršek Prosenc: Razstava (in katalog) Jane Vizjak na začetku jesenske likovne sezone v Mariboru. Naši razgledi, No.21, 10 November 1989.
Aleksander Bassin: Novi akvarel: Jana Vizjak: Galerija Kompas Ljubljana. Razgledi, No 24, 20 December 1995.
Marijan Zlobec: Pogovor z akademsko slikarko Jano Vizjak. Moje slike nagovorijo gledalca v imenu sublimnega. Revija Logos, 15 January 2003.
Milček Komelj: Slike Jane Vizjak. Nova revija, No 361/262, 2004.
Milček Komelj: V svetlobi granatnih jabolk: Jana Vizjak. Ampak, No 12 December 2004.
Alenka Zgonik: Pogovor z Jano Vizjak. Človek tišine sem, tišina je nekaj lepega. Nedelo, 8 May 2005.
Alenka Zgonik: Barva je veliko več kot snov, ki jo iztisneš iz tube. Jana Vizjak, slikarka. Delo, 2 February 2008.
Milček Komelj: Risbe Jane Vizjak. Nova revija, No 327/329, 2009.
== Books ==
Jana Vizjak, Zoran Kržišnik: Jana Vizjak. Ljubljana: samozaložba,1989.
Jana Vizjak: Slike / Bilder. Celje: Zavod za kulturne prireditve, Galerija sodobne umetnosti, 2001.
Jana Vizjak: Pot srca. Celovec: Mohorjeva, 2008.
Jana Vizjak: Herzensweg. Celovec: Mohorjeva, 2008.
Jana Vizjak: Avtoportret: čas za slikarstvo. Kranj: Gorenjski muzej, 2012.
Jana Vizjak, Damir Globočnik, Aljaž Pogačnik: Kreposti, krogi in portreti. Jesenice: Gornjesavski muzej; Kranj: Gorenjski muzej; Radovljica: Muzeji radovljiške občine, 2018.
== References ==
== External links ==
* Damir Globočnik: Pogled v nastajanje novega ciklusa Kreposti
* Revija SRP
* Jana Vizjak: Personal bibliography
* Jana Vizjak on Saatchi Art
* Jana Vizjak on linkedin
* Jana Vizjak on facebook
* Jana Vizjak | Artist Profile with Bio - MutualArt
* Artists :: V :: Vizjak Jana - Galerija Hest
Category:1956 births
Category:Slovenian painters
Category:Slovenian artists
Category:Slovenian graphic designers
Category:Slovenian people
Category:Art schools in Ljubljana