Petkovšek was the most peculiar of Slovenian painters at the end of the 19th century. Being the son of a wealthy landowner, he could afford to study at private academies in Venice, Munich and Paris. Because of great problems with his mental health he often returned home and finally died in a psychiatric hospital. During his lifetime a single short note was published about his work; when his possessions were valued, his paintings were assessed as “valueless”. He was discovered as a painter by younger artists, and his oeuvre − characterized by a highly expressive note in his otherwise genre motifs, flat space and deformed faces − continues to inspire Slovenian artists even today.